Fairfield apartments, residents working to rebuild 3 months after massive fire

Aug. 18--More than three months after a massive fire destroyed part of the Villages of Wildwood and resulted in a $3.8 million loss, officials are working to rebuild an 11-unit apartment building.

Some displaced residents eventually relocated to other apartments within the complex off Ross Road, and at least one family moved out altogether due to the stress created in the aftermath of the fire.

Smoke could be seen miles away from the fire which started on a stove top in an apartment in the 80 block of Brittany Lane. Nearly 20 people were displaced from 11 units. A 50-year-old man -- a resident of the burning building -- complained of chest pains when he arrived home to see the fire, according to the report. He was treated by medics and then transported to a local hospital.

More than 50 firefighters worked to extinguish the fire, which ended up being a 10-alarm fire, according to the city's fire report.

Fairfield Deputy Fire Chief Tom Wagner said the total damage is roughly $3.8 million for the 9,000-square-foot building.

In the days after the fire, Wagner told the Journal-News there were three contributing factors that lead to the loss of the building.

He said the fire "had been burning quite a while" before 911 was called. He also said a pitched roof was added in a later renovation but the flat roof construction underneath "allowed the fire to spread." The apartment's private water mains had weak pressure, which added to the issues fighting the fire, Wagner. Water tanks were brought in to help, and a hose was hooked up to a city-owned hydrant in the Whitemore Estates, just north of the Villages of Wildwood.

The first report of the fire was close to 3 p.m. on May 17. Residents in adjacent apartment buildings were temporarily evacuated while crews fought the fire.

By 7:20 p.m. on May 17, fire crews had it contained but crews didn't clear the scene until 6 p.m. on May 18.

Luke Patelunas and his roommates were some of the people that moved back to the Villages of Wildwood. He stayed with his girlfriend for a couple weeks before a new apartment at Wildwood became available. His roommates were put up at a hotel paid for by insurance. Patelunas said he and his roommates told the apartment's management to "put us at the bottom of the list" in order to give displaced families to move in first.

"We really didn't need to get a new place right away as we had temporary places to live," he said. Two weeks after the fire, they were in a new apartment.

Though Patelunas wasn't home when the fire occurred, he said seeing the impact of "carelessness" has made him more careful.

"Carelessness from one individual can drastically change the lives of a lot of people in one heartbeat," he said.

Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said her family's displacement experience was more stressful.

"It was honestly nerve-wracking," she said, which is a primary reason why they didn't relocate within the Villages of Wildwood. She said at one point she and her family feared they'd be homeless before they'd be able to relocate.

The Villages of Wildwood, which is owned by Philadelphia-based Gold Oller Real Estate, has filed for a demolition permit. City officials anticipate demolition to start this week, but it appears the process has already begun.

Once the building is demolished, Gold Oller spokeswoman Sarah Campion said in an email, "Yes we plan to rebuild." However, she did not comment on any details of the project.

Wagner said the city was told by the company it will take eight months to a year to build from whenever they start construction.

"They plan to rebuild the same square footage and number of units," Wagner said.

No construction permit has been filed with the city, according to the city's development department.

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