Fire victims wait for temp housing

Fox Hill residents donate, help out

Staying with friends and waiting on the insurance company leaves the Fox Hill residents of 1507 with many unanswered questions after a fire damaged the upstairs of their rented townhouse.

Seniors Travis Bache and Michael Hegel, junior Michael Toner, and sophomore Josh Knight, all residents of 1507, were displaced from their townhouse after a candle in a pumpkin caused a fire Saturday night.

"Fox Hills hasn’t offered us a place and won’t until their insurance people basically tell them exactly what their loss of income is," Knight said.

Fox Hill Property Manager Stephanie Furr said the insurance company evaluated the fire damaged townhouse on Tuesday.

"Right now we are trying to find them a place to stay, but we have to hear from the insurance company first," Furr said. She said she does not know when Fox Hill will hear back from the insurance company.

She explained that they are just in the beginning process of dealing with the fire and its repercussions.

Community Efforts

Despite the wait for temporary housing, Furr said they have set up a donation box in Fox Hill’s office for the residents of 1507.

"We sent around a flyer that we would be accepting donations for them," Furr said.

Senior Cary Bell, who lives in the townhouse adjacent to 1507, said that all the neighbors have been working together to help the residents.

The neighbors have collected many of the resident’s belongings in trash bags.

"The whole row really has been helping out," Bell said. "[The residents of 1507] are all welcome in our homes. Everyone is pulling together for this."

Senior Lawson Ricketts, president of Student Ambassadors, said the organization has an unofficial donation box for members who want to contribute support.

"As friends, we are getting together and being there as support," Ricketts said. Toner is a member of SA.

Future Plans

Plans as to who is going to work on the townhouse are still pending. Furr estimated that the townhouse would be fixed in three to four months.

"The whole upstairs is going to have to be replaced," Furr said.

The residents of 1507 are still unsure of future living arrangements.

"We are either going to terminate the contract and find a new place to live," Knight said, "or Fox Hill needs to follow through with the contract and provide us a roof to live under."