Good Morning all.
I'm going to take the time this morning before I start in sorting through the chaos mess of boxes.
As you know, we only had 4 hours to retrieve items from the fire damaged apartment, so you can imagine stuffing boxes with anything and everything of value in a hurry.
It all started about 6 months ago. The lady in D1, upstairs opposite us on the West end, moved in her sister and her 4 children. Between the 2 sisters they have 7 children with only one in the teens. A 2 bedroom apartment, how in the hell is that even legal. And why did the complex management allow this?
They would make all kinds of noise, loud music, yelling screaming, breaking almost every rule in the complex. Children climbing on cars and jumping from one to another while not being attended by an adult as they were suppose to be. Knocking on doors and running away, scattering other tenant's flower garden and lawn decorations all over the place.
At this time, almost everyone in the complex wrote to the office with dozens of complaints. Nothing was done.
A young couple with children, he is X military, moved in under the people in D1 (right next to us) at the beginning of March. Between then and the time of the fire they had called the police 5 times to deal with the activities in D1. Again, we all wrote a letter to the office demanding they be evicted this time.
The reason they gave for not evicting them is that there were too many empty apartments at the time. I found out later there were 3-2 bedroom upstairs and 1-3 bedroom ground floor apartments empty at the time of the fire. The ground floor and 1 upstairs apartments that were vacant were in the building that burned. All I can say is I hope they were worth keeping around to the owners of the complex!
I think there is some kind of politics involved and it being low income housing. The determination of the fire was said to be accidental. I know the people in D1 lied about the cause of the fire. I have recently found out that the older boy, 15, his pregnant 14 year old girl friend, another male teenager guest and 2 female guests (one also being pregnant) that night were playing with fire crackers on the balcony. That's where the fire started.
The 2 sisters of all these children made it common practice to supply teenagers with liquor and encourage miners to sleep together in that apartment. You see, these 2 sisters have children for income, and were encouraging young people to do the same. The kind of people that would not, could not abide by rules. Has no respect for people or their property. Only the kind of people you find in large cities...or so I thought.
There were about 12 people in that apartment at the time of the fire. The fire started on D1's balcony, where the drunken minors were dropping lit fire crackers into a 1/2 empty 151 Rum bottle. They thought it funny as the fuse would go out when it hit the liquor due to low oxygen level inside the bottle. Until one of the fire cracker's fuse went very fast...
It exploded inside the bottle, exploding the bottle and spreading flaming liquor all over the deck board balcony, vinyl siding and soffit.
There was no fire wall anywhere in the building. Only vinyl soffit was above the balcony, opening the entire attic of the building available to fuel the fire. It only took 10 minutes for the fire to spread to one end of the building to the other. Going against the wind at that.
Now, the tenants of D1 said they were not to blame because their apartment did not have a fire extinguisher. While the absence of a fire extinguisher may be true...If you play with fire you are going to get burnt. I know we tried for the first 3 years we lived in our apartment to get a fire extinguisher, and I ended up buying one myself. Just because I couldn't live with myself if a small grease fire on the stove ended up burning down the building when it was avoidable. But that is a matter to take up with the complex, and the small extinguisher that is supplied in some of the apartments would not have been enough to put out the amount of fire they had caused anyways.
We were staying in a hotel in the next city, The Quality Inn of Big Rapids. The first night there, I knew the people in D1 was there as well...the same noise we have been dealing with at the apartment. Our maid on the 2nd morning said the teen boy came to her early that morning with puke soaked bedding, wanting to know what to do with it as he said he had too much to drink the night before. She said take it to the guest laundry room and wash it, LOL. So, you would think loosing everything you owned due to drunken minors playing with fire would be enough to change the style of life you lead. But no, the 2 sisters are using Red Cross money to buy minors liquor...as usual.
However, it seams the same corporation that owns the apartment complex owns the Quality Inn where we/they WERE staying. Once they found out that the people that caused the fire in D1 was staying at the Quality Inn, they kicked them out.
Complaints were made to the Red Cross, Good Will and DHS (not by us) about the miss-use of the funds that were given to those 2 sisters as well.
Red Cross makes you sign a paper that says you won't use the money they give you for certain things, like liquor.
Red Cross is seeking to get their funding back. As well as DHS, and Good Will is asking for their donations in clothing and other needs back.
I understand DHS is also opening a miss use of funds case and is shutting them off completely.
This I know because one of the sisters seen my wife Tina in the office of the Quality Inn and she was complaining to everyone there about what was going on...the above mentioned actions.
I think it worth mentioning also that both sisters have had neglect and child abuse cases open for some time. As I said, they have children for income. They have no real family values what so ever. I can only hope that they move back to Nevada, in which they came before moving to Michigan. (Sorry to anyone that reads this that lives in Nevada...nothing personal)
What I truly wish for is that the young children be taken away from these 2 ladies and put in good foster homes where they can grow up learning what family life should be like. Learn respect for people and their property, and for them selves. As for the teen boy, he needs prosecuted for arson, as well has his girl friend, his male friend and his girl friend, and a third girl that was involved in the liquor and fire cracker game they were playing. I don't think they can actually see past their own loss, or much care about any of the damage and loss to all the other tenants in that building. And honestly believe that the fire was not, in any part, their fault.
They have tried to sneak back into the apartment building late at night twice. Why, I don't know...there is nothing left of their apartment. But they have been caught both times by the local city police. The management of the complex has served both sisters with legal papers, making it illegal for either of them, or any of their children to set foot on the premises.
It took us 2-1/2 years to pay for our couch and love seat from the local rent to own place, and we just paid it off. Now we have a piece of junk couch and 2 swivel rockers that is completely worn out. I bought a new bed for our son when we moved in and one for my mother. Now my son sleeps on that junk couch because he has no bed room. My mother needs help getting out of the worn out bed that was donated as it sinks in the middle so far. And Tina and I sleep on bed that is also worn out and we both wake with awful back aches.
Most of our clothing was saved, but the smell of smoke just won't go away. Most of the cloths that were donated are too big, too small, or worn out and only good for the rag bag.
We are thankful for the donations, although they are not as good as we had. We have something, and are out of the hotel to a more stable living environment.
I don't know how long it will take to recover from this. One thing that helps is the rent is reduced almost $200 so we are able to keep the internet, home phone and TV on.
I will take some pictures when I find my camera, providing I can find some batteries, and post some pics of the building as it progresses through it's partial demo stage. I found out just a few minutes ago from the site maintenance man that they are removing the 2nd floor only, removing drywall, light fixtures and outlets on the ground floor. Then they will rebuild the 2nd story and finish up the ground floor. This is contrary to what the Fire Investigator told us, which he said the building would have to come completely down. How they are getting away with that, I can only guess the owners have lots of money and money is power!
The good thing is, there will be fire break walls installed, and a water fire arrest system installed. (Per updated code since the original place was built)
Also, if anyone is interested...Links to the local news station is below on the fire.
HERE
HERE
HERE
and
HERE
I don't have any speakers right now, so I am unable to hear what is being said. Mine was water damaged. And the library don't have speakers on there computers either...obviously. I need to see if head phones will work.
A go fund me page would be really help us out if someone was to start one. Anything would be greatly and dearly appreciated.
Thank You All Kindly again for your support! It helps keep my trying to keep a positive attitude. And I have to admit, right now it's been the most challenging thing I've tried to do.
And I almost just want to give up. I know my health issues are not going to get better, but at least at some point...life will get better. I hope I have the patient's to see it through to the end.