Residents of a Brunswick apartment complex called firefighters just after 4 a.m. Thursday morning when they awoke to a blaze — the city’s second major fire at an apartment building in 72 hours.
“My whole apartment is on fire,” one caller told a dispatcher during a 911 call. “I was sleeping and I just happened to wake up and something was on fire.”
ELIZABETH DOBBINS / GAZETTE A Brunswick fire Thursday morning caused smoke stains above a second floor window.
The Brunswick Fire Department responded to Laurel Hill Apartment complex, 4405 Laurel Road on the city’s southwest side, within four to five minutes, Fire Chief Jim Baird said. The blaze was contained in five to eight minutes and declared under control within 15 minutes after arrival.
Within that time, one apartment was destroyed and 11 others were damaged, displacing the residents.
One resident was hospitalized for smoke inhalation, according to a press release. The resident’s identity and condition were not available Thursday night. Also, the dollar value of the estimated damage was not available.
The Brunswick Police Department and fire departments from Hinckley, Strongsville, and Valley City assisted at the scene.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by a 21-member community group called the Southwest Emergency Response Team. Baird said the fire does not appear to be linked to the Monday night blaze about three miles away at another Brunswick apartment complex.
“At this time we do not believe they are connected,” Baird said.
The fire Monday night took place at Hickory Hill Apartments at Hemlock Court near Pearl Road on the city’s north side. A 4-year-old girl, Keagan Taylor Sullivan, was killed in the blaze and there were seven injuries, including one firefighter hurt. The community responded with what Father Bob Stec of St. Ambrose Catholic Parish called an “outpouring” of support with hundreds of donations of food, clothes and gift cards to be given to displaced families.
The parish received more donations than the victims of the first fire could use, so Stec said some of the items now will be donated to the about 40 people affected by Thursday’s blaze.
“We are using all the resources already collected,” Stec said.
The parish, which has run out of room in its food pantry, is now only accepting cash or gift card donations. St. Ambrose’s Catholic Works of Mercy project manager Jeff Trush said Thursday that restaurant gift cards are helpful for affected families who don’t have a kitchen to cook meals.
“They lost everything,” he said. “They have no place to cook.”
The American Red Cross’ Northeast Ohio unit provided vouchers for hotel rooms to the families of the Laurel Hill fire. Trush and Mary Williams, Red Cross regional communication coordinator, said their organizations are getting families on the path to recovery.
“In a couple of days the media will die down on this and where will these people be left?” Trush said.
Williams said, “Recovering from something like this is a long run. It’s not a sprint by any means.”
The Red Cross recommends checking smoke alarms monthly and changing the batteries every six months. On average, Williams said three families are displaced by house fires each night in Northeast Ohio.
“This is not unusual at all unfortunately,” she said.
