MEDINA, Ohio — It's been an overwhelming few days for Cedar Ridge Apartments residents as a fire has now forced them to find a new home.
A fire broke out at the apartment complex in the early morning hours on Saturday.
"My boyfriend woke me up at 3 o'clock in the morning, saying that there was a fire, so I went out to go check. I saw that there was a fire. I immediately started, knocking on people's doors trying to wake people up and get them going," Tiffany Schmitz said. "I was scared. I was scared for everybody. I just wanted to make sure everybody was okay."
She told me the fire started three doors down from her apartment in the laundry room.
Schmitz and a handful of other residents allege the fire is the cause of an electrical issue that has gone unchecked by property management.
I reached out to the regional operations director as well as the property manager for the complex, but haven't heard back yet.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation as of Tuesday morning, according to the Medina Fire Chief, Larry Walters.
Luckily, the flames didn't touch Schmitz's apartment, but because she has no electricity, she lost all of her refrigerated food.
Only a handful of apartments caught fire, but the fire knocked out the electricity for all residents, which is now forcing them to vacate the property.
"What they told us initially was that we could stay in the apartment but we wouldn't have electricity or hot water," Schmitz said.
But then she came home to a letter on her door on Tuesday saying she needs to be out by July 15.
"After thorough investigation and consultation with contractors and utility providers, we regret to inform you that there is no viable temporary solution to restore electricity in the affected units. The permanent repairs required to fix the electrical system will take several months to be completed," the letter states.
Three available apartments were offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
"For the remaining 28 affected residents, we understand this is difficult, and to assist you, we are offering a mutual lease termination," the letter adds.
The Red Cross was out at the apartment complex last weekend around 6 a.m., providing snacks, water, and blankets. The organization said it also offered temporary housing to those in need.
According to Red Cross Regional Communications Director Christy Peters, property management told them power would be on in 24-48 hours, so additional shelter was not needed.
Peters said the Red Cross went door to door and asked if anyone wanted to be relocated, but everyone declined, except a pregnant woman who went to a hotel.
"Red Cross did not stop by my door, and the only shelter that was told to us was that the National Guard was going to open up and then we had another briefing later in the day and then they took that away," Schmitz said.
Over the last several days, Schmitz told me she has received no updates other than the notice to vacate.
"I just moved here four months ago. I put a lot of what I had into moving and getting all this stuff for my kids. To just do it four months later is a big burden and it takes a long time to get into some places so yeah, it's tough," Schmitz said. "I just want some empathy. I just want them to show compassion. I just want them to care about these people because I get it that it's a business but it's also our livelihood. We live here."
Schmitz said she plans to fight the 15-day move-out.
"I'm trying to use my voice so hopefully we could do something about this so this doesn't happen again," Schmitz said. "We just need to be heard. Something needs to be done."
The Red Cross told me that if housing needs change, the organization will be there to assist.
