Mobile Apartment Building Fire Leaves 17 Homeless

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By Steve Alexander Reporter

M60o93H7pQ09L8X1t49cHY01Z5j4TT91fGfr Mobile Apartment Building Fire Leaves 17 Homeless

Published: Fri, March 28, 2008 - 9:07 pm

Steve Alexander

Seventeen people are homeless after fire roared through their apartment building in downtown Mobile Friday afternoon.
The fire started at the Garden District Apartments at 1051 Government Street shortly after 4 pm.
Steve Huffman with the Mobile Fire Department said, "The fire spread into the attic. At that time, we had to pull people (our firefighters) out and we had to go to an exterior attack."
Firefighters worked quickly to roll out hoses and make sure no one was inside the building.
Irene Martin lives in an apartment on the first floor.
She quickly evacuated her daughter, eight year old Gabrielle, and four pets.
Gabrielle Martin said, "My mom told me to wake up and get outside."
Irene Martin said, "I don't have any family and everything that is part of my family" is in the apartment.
Sean Estes lives in a second floor apartment in another part of the building.
He says he was outside and "saw the smoke and ran back upstairs, grabbed my phone, called 911, and grabbed the fire extinguisher."
Firefighters believe the blaze started in an electrical appliance in a third floor apartment.
Investigators say all the tenants escaped safely, and the buildings owner, Ken Baggette, is grateful.
Baggette said, "That was the number one priority, that nobody was here, so nobody would get hurt."
Officials with the American Red Cross officials say twelve apartments in all were burned and nine of them were occupied.
They're working to find temporary places for the tenants to live.

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