—By Joan Dentler and Sheila Sanchez
Dozens of confused and shocked victims of an early morning apartment building fire on Woodside Road are saying they've lost all of their material belongings but escaped with their lives, during the inferno.
Among those affected are Nia and Casey Sewell, ages 25 and 32, respectively, who escaped the fire after being awakened by the smell of smoke at about 5:20 a.m.
When they tried to open their third-floor apartment door to exit the four-story building, they found the hallway completely filled with smoke and fire coming out from their neighbor's door across from them.
They closed their door and proceeded to grab whatever they could—purse, shoes, a small bag—and then climbed down their balcony to escape the fire.
There are about 20 studio and one-bedroom apartments on each of the top three stories of the building, the Sewells said.
"We climbed down the railing on our balcony, on the outside of the complex because we couldn't access the stairs," Nia Sewell said, crying as she stood in front of a Redwood City fire truck parked on Woodside Road near Starbucks.
"We hung on to the side of the building," she said, explaining that her husband was brave enough to climb down to another balcony to help an older woman escape her apartment unit.
"I've heard there was one critical injury," Nia Sewell said. "But most have miraculously survived."
"I'm very sick. I don't feel good. I know that we've lost everything," Nia Sewell said.
The couple, however, was relieved to learn that their 14-year-old female cat "Emmers" was rescued by firefighters from the blaze after being left behind during their escape.
"We couldn't carry her down with us so we were so sorry to have to leave her," Nia Sewell said.
A quick look at the building's third story shows the Sewell's unit was completely engulfed in fire and flames. "Everything we own, from clothing to paperwork, electronics, family photos, everything ... we literally only have what is in my purse," Nia Sewell said.
Nia, wearing a bathrobe only and shoes, and Casey, wearing jeans and a T-shirt, said they were fortunate not to be injured during their escape.
The other victims were hanging around the fire's perimeter at Valota Road and Hudson Street.
Many were being sent to the Red Morton Community Center on Roosevelt Avenue for temporary shelter.
Firefighters were telling the victims to go there to receive further assistance from the American Red Cross.
The Sewells said the fire erupted at about 5 a.m.
Alicia Higareda, who lives in a house near the intersection of Woodside Avenue and Hudson Street, said she was saddened that another fire had struck the neighborhood, referring to the recent inferno also on Woodside Road in early July.
"This is a horrible tragedy ... I'm sure the community will once again come together to help the victims," Higareda said.
The Sewells said the building's owner could be the real estate and construction company W. L. Butler or Sequoia Real Estate.
Rent is paid to W. L. Butler and most of the residents have one-year leases on the apartments, the Sewells said.
Nia Sewell is a model and a visual merchandiser for Forever 21 and her husband is a laborer.
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