Fire Survivors Frustrated by Salvage Process

Written by Bay City News

Residents of the Hallmark House Apartments in Redwood City lined up outside the burned-out building today to wait for a chance to salvage what they could of their possessions.

The four-story, 72-unit building at 531 Woodside Road was the scene of a six-alarm fire that was reported at about 1:45 a.m. Sunday, according to the Redwood City Fire Department. One person died in the blaze, and the coroner's office was still working today to confirm that person's identity.

About 20 others were injured, including three firefighters, police said. Their injuries were described as minor to moderate and included burns and smoke inhalation. Approximately 97 people were displaced, and dozens returned this morning with friends and relatives to carry out whatever was left of their belongings in garbage bags and storage bins. Residents were handed facemasks and gloves, and given 10 minutes each to enter their former apartments, escorted by a fire official.


The brief time slot was causing anxiety and frustration among the crowd lined up in the street outside the damaged building.

"Ten minutes -- some people can't even get up the stairs in 10 minutes," said D. Joey Stone, a 10-year resident of the building who said he was in Modesto when it caught fire. His girlfriend and dogs got out safely, and their apartment didn't burn but sustained water damage, Stone said.

"Major water damage," he said. "I don't know what we'll find."

Stone said he wasn't slotted to get into his apartment until later, but came back this morning to help his neighbors carry out whatever they could grab.

"I'm here to help," he said. "I'll be here all day." Tinka Blankmon, who lives a few blocks away, was at the Hallmark House Apartments to help her mother-in-law, who lived on the first floor.

"She needs our help. You can't pack up a life in 10 minutes," she said.

Communication between the victims, property owners, fire officials and county human services agencies has been lacking, Blackmon said. "The communication has been terrible," she said.

"This building is 50 years old ... don't they have a plan?"

Many of the evacuated residents had sought temporary housing at a shelter set up at the Fair Oaks Community Center. However, the shelter was not offering any storage, so many who had returned to collect their property have nowhere to put it, Blackmon said. The blaze remains under investigation by the Redwood City police and fire departments and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The ATF is involved because of the magnitude of the incident.

A cause has yet to be determined, though witnesses said the fire appeared to start on the top floor, which sustained the heaviest damage. Collapsed ceilings and charred interiors were visible from the street. Other apartments appeared unscathed, with flowers and bikes still on the balconies. One witness who declined to give his name said he saw tall flames erupting from a fourth floor apartment, and heard a man screaming for help. "I heard a guy yelling, 'I can't get out, I can't get out!' I don't know if he made it," the witness said. About 100 firefighters in 20 engines and seven ladder trucks responded to the emergency.

The witness said firefighters were blasting water through balcony doors and windows for several hours. This morning, puddles of ash and burnt debris still surrounded the perimeter of the apartment building, which covers nearly half a city block. A man wearing a Giants baseball cap and sooty gloves carried a flat-screen TV down Woodside Road.
 
Redwood City Fire Marshal Jim Palisi said today it is too early to tell whether the building is permanently uninhabitable.

City spokesman Malcolm Smith said that once the fire department finishes its investigation, it will be the responsibility of the property owners to coordinate any further efforts by tenants to salvage their belongings.