Fire displaces at least 16 at Southridge

Reproduced from The Culpeper Star Exponent (http://www2.starexponent.com).
By Star Exponent Staff
Published: August 6, 2011

At least eight apartments had to be evacuated Saturday evening after fire ripped through the Southridge apartment complex south of town.

Members of Culpeper Volunteer Fire Department Company 1, along with Companies 2, 8 and 16, were called to 670 Southview Court around 5:15 p.m. Saturday. By the time they arrived, flames had engulfed one side of the two-story building and were leaping out of the roof.

The fire is believed to have been caused by a cooking accident on the first floor, according to Co. 1 Assistant Chief Wayne Sutphin, but the official cause of the blaze has yet to be determined. No injuries were reported.

Despite a pouring rain that began around 6:30 p.m., firefighters weren’t able to get the blaze under control until 7:15 p.m., Sutphin said. After initial police scanner chatter reported tenants were still inside the burning building, scanner chatter at 5:22 p.m. reported everyone had been evacuated. Additional scanner chatter reported that the roof of one apartment had collapsed and heavy flames were still visible at 5:56 p.m.

Sutphin estimated that at least 16 people were displaced by the blaze. The Red Cross was called in and has temporarily placed the residents in a nearby hotel.

Sutphin said the building, located at the intersection of Southview Court and Cromwell Court, is a total loss and has been deemed unsafe. He estimated the damages at somewhere around $1.5 million.

*CCVFRA Note: Units from Company 11, 12, Little Fork, Rapidan, Remington, and Warrenton also responded.

Follow up Story:

Grease fire caused Saturday's blaze at South Ridge
By: Rhonda Simmons
Published: August 09, 2011

Culpeper resident Mary Wise was cooking dinner Saturday evening when she heard three loud explosions.

“I heard boom, boom, boom and I started running,” said Wise, who was babysitting her 3-year-old niece at the time of the apartment blaze at South Ridge. “I don’t know what it was, but that’s all I heard.”

Wise said her neighbor alerted her about the fire around 5:15 p.m. after narrowly escaping the inferno.

The blaze destroyed eight apartment units at 670 Southview Ct. in the South Ridge apartment complex located off of Bus. 29 just south of town.

“He said, ‘The house is on fire! Get out!’” recalled Wise, who lives in Unit A of the apartment complex.

A man, who lived in Unit F on the main level of the apartments, was frying chicken in his home, which is where the grease fire reportedly started, according to neighbors.

Wise, who lives on the opposite side of where the fire started, said her apartment escaped the fire, but endured lots of water damage.

“My drawers to my dressers won’t come open,” said Wise, who moved into her apartment in 2006.

Inside her apartment, Wise’s carpets are soaked with water and her once white bedroom ceiling now features a large brown stain above her closet.

Charred siding litters the outside of Wise’s bedroom window and most of her belongings are stuffed inside plastic containers and brown boxes in her living room.

The smell of burnt wood still lingers inside the gutted two-story structure, forcing Wise to open her living room windows while she continues to pack her clothes and household items.

Red caution tape was wrapped around the front of Unit F, while yellow caution tape marked the front of the other main level units.

Meanwhile, Wise is living with her family until she finds a new home.

“I feel comfortable with family,” said Wise, a single woman who retired from the childcare industry many years ago.

Asked how she’s dealing with this tragedy, Wise responded that she’s tired.

Without renters insurance, Wise is faced with replacing her own personal belongings.

“I dropped it. It costs so much. And everything has to be itemized with a receipt,” Wise explained.

Ted Czaplicki, who lives in Unit H and was working nights last week, said he was sleeping when his neighbor from Unit F, where the fire reportedly started, woke him up to tell him about the fire.

“He was beating on my door like a maniac,” said Czaplicki, standing outside the charred structure on Monday. “I threw a pair of shorts on and ran to the door and I knew something was wrong. I was getting a few hours of sleep before I had to go into work that evening.”

Czaplicki, who is staying at the Comfort Inn with his wife, explained that a propane tank caused the three explosions.

No injuries were reported in Saturday’s fire, however, a family dog died and a cat is still missing, according to South Ridge residents.

Czaplicki said the fire that destroyed his unit’s eight apartments displaced about 14 people.

Meanwhile, two Central Virginia American Red Cross Disaster Action Team volunteers responded to Saturday’s fire around 6:45 p.m., distributing 11 comfort kits and five food cards, according to Philip Day, volunteer for the Red Cross Central Virginia Chapter.

Day added that at least four families “lost everything.”

“It was a very busy day for the American Red Cross,” said Pam Smith, a Red Cross lead disaster responder, who also had crews responding to a flood at the Wine Street Memorial Park in Culpeper the same evening. “Joe (Graham) and I supplied them with food and comfort kits and plan to do more disaster assessment (Monday). The victims will probably be in the hotel for at least a week. We are honored to serve people in a disaster, but we could sure use more Disaster Action Team volunteers in the five-county Piedmont district area. The training is free, but the rewards are priceless.”

Red Cross volunteers made arrangements for displaced residents to stay at the Comfort Inn located in walking distance from South Ridge apartment complex.

Property owner and developer Bill Cannon, of Cannon Properties, was also on hand, providing assistance to his residents.

“We had 10 to 12 people working since Saturday trying to relocate folks and put them in other apartments,” Cannon said Monday afternoon. “We are trying to do what we can to help them and get them relocated. It was pure accident.”

Czaplicki said Cannon has been extremely helpful during this ordeal.

“Anything you need, he’s been there to help,” he said. “I’ve never run across anything like it. He’s supplied water, pizza, Walmart coupons and credit cards…anything we needed. He came to help and he was helping to box items and folding our curtains. He’s an outstanding man. I can’t say enough good about him.”

Cannon also explained that the fire was contained to two of the units.

“The building has firestop (protection) in four directions,” said Cannon, who’s staying at the Comfort Inn with his wife. “So six units didn’t sustain a lot of fire damage, but did suffer water damage.”

Cannon, who was in Northern Virginia when he heard about the fire, estimates the damage around $650,000. On Monday, Cannon was still waiting to hear from Culpeper County building official Bob Orr and an insurance adjuster to make the final assessments.

“It’s almost easier to take it down and rebuild it,” Cannon said.

Built in 1989, South Ridge apartments has 128 units.