- Video shows flames coming out Highpoint apartments in north west Omaha, fire trucks, and residents clearing out damaged apartments.
- A fire broke out at the Highpoint apartment complex in northwest Omaha on Monday afternoon, displacing 60 residents. Fire trucks responded to the scene as flames engulfed part of the building.
Affected residents have since returned to collect their belongings from the damaged apartments.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
I'm Melissa Wright at the Highpoint apartments in north west Omaha, where a fire from yesterday afternoon displaced 60 neighbors. Residents here tell me they are happy to be alive, even though they no longer have a home.
Neighbors getting what they can from inside their apartments, following one of the largest residential fires in Omaha's recent history.
"I'm just happy its not all burned down, like the other building is… there still some hope left," said Ealy.
Dae'Shaun Ealy,18 years-old, lives here with his little brother and mother. In Ealys apartment, nothing was burned but the building wreaks of smoke. So now he's packing his things and staying with a friend.
"No plan really… no plan, now that you've said that, I really don't got nothing, I don't have a clue in the world," said Ealy.
Just below Ealy, Lizzie Ramirez she lives on the basement floor of the complex. She's returning for the first time today. The apartment is asking tenants to have their belonging removed by the end of this month.
"We went in there and everything is damaged, our beds are pretty much black, the water is black… it's cold. We're trying to see how much we can get out but its not much," said Ramirez.
In this video, you can see Ramirez, splashing through water looking for what's left.
She says although replacing everything wont be easy shes grateful for other things.
"We're still alive, I thank god for that, we're just trying to see how much we can get out,"
"The apartment is taking steps to prevent looting like closing access after dark,"
The Red Cross tells me, that they plan on having a meeting with residents here on Thursday. They'll discuss what people need and what the red cross can provide. Omaha fire investigators say, they are still working to find out what started the fire. In north west Omaha, I'm Melissa Wright.
