Families in 98 apartments displaced after fire at New Orleans East complex
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Updated: 1:56 PM CST Jan 14, 2021
WDSU Digital Team
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Updated: 1:56 PM CST Jan 14, 2021
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>> THIS IS >> OUR APARTMENT IS IN FLAMES. WE DON’T HAVE ANYTHING, FOOD, WATER, NOTHING. GINA: SEVERAL DISPLACED AFTER THIS MASSIVE FIRE IN NEW ORLEANS EAST. THE WOMAN YOU JUST HEARD UNFORTUNATELY IS LIKE SO MANY WHO COULD ONLY WATCH AS FLAMES DESTROYED EVERYTHING THEY OWNED. THE FIRE AT THE GENTILLY RIDGE APARTMENT COMPLEX, WAS SO LARGE IT COULD BE SEEN FOR MILES OUR TOWER AND DOTD CAMERAS CAPTURED THE FLAMES AND SMOKE BILLOWING INTO THE CITY SKYLINE. GINA: SHAY O’CONNOR JOINS US LIVE TONIGHT WITH MORE INFORMATION ON THE 4-ALARM. SULA: ANY WORD ON INJURIES? REPORTER: OFFICIALS SAY AT THIS TIME, THERE IS NO WORD ON ANY INJURIES, BUT SADLY, DOZENS OF RESIDENTS FROM THIS APARTMENT COMPLEX HAVE BEEN WATCHING IN DISBELIEF AS THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. WE WILL SHOW YOU ANOTHER ANGLE WE WERE ABLE TO CAPTURE. THE FLAMES APPARENTLY BROKE OUT JUST BEFORE 8:00 ON CHEF AND DALMAN AT THE GENTILLY RIDGE APARTMENTS. THEY DON’T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE, BUT IT STARTED IN THE FRONT OF THE COMPLEX AND SPREAD VERY QUICKLY TO MANY OF THE OTHER UNITS. THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 104 APARTMENTS IN THIS COMPLEX, AND 98 OF THEM ARE OCCUPIED. THOSE WHO LIVE HERE SAY THEY ARE STILL IN SHOCK BY WHAT ALL WENT DOWN. >> I WAS SLEEPING, AND I HEARD SOME NOISES, THEN I WOKE UP. I SAW A LOT OF PEOPLE OUTSIDE. WHEN I SAW THE FIRE. >> BY THE TIME WE MADE IT TO THE END OF THE DRIVEWAY, THERE WAS FIRE EVERYWHERE. WE DON’T HAVE ANYTHING, NO FOOD, WATER, NOTHING. EVERYTHING WE PURCHASED IS GONE. WE DON’T HAVE ANYTHING. NOTHING. REPORTER: RED CROSS IS ON SCENE RIGHT NOW WITH BUSES FOR THOSE DISPLACED. THERE IS A SEPARATE BACK UNIT TO THE APARTMENTS THAT WAS NOT AFFECTED. OFFICIALS HOPE THE RESIDENTS WHO LIVE BACK THERE CAN REMAIN IN THEIR APARTMENTS. MANY OF THOSE WHO LIVED TOWARDS THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING BELIEVE THAT THEY LOST EVERYTHING TONIGHT IN THE FIRE. WE ARE WORKING TO BRING YOU MORE