Residents feel helpless after Fern Creek Apartment fire

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Picture of the apartment while it was on fire.

View from Air 3 after the fire was put out.

Cariane Ruggieri, Shane Burgess and Jennie Born.

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) – Some residents displaced after an apartment fire in Fern Creek earlier this week are furious at the fact they are expected to be completely moved out this weekend.

The Fern Creek Fire Department says they believe this was an electrical fire. It happened at The Park at Hurstbourne Apartment complex near the intersection of Bardstown Road and Hurstbourne Parkway.

Cariane Ruggieri was only able to grab her purse, as she watched flames burn in her apartment. She was forced to leave everything else behind.

"My daughter's medicine, their clothes, all my daughter's school supplies that I just bought, everything," said Ruggieri. "I mean I've been there for four years."

24 units were destroyed, displacing dozens of people. A lot of them are staying at the Red Roof Inn on Hurstbourne Parkway at the apartment's expense, but are told they are only footing the bill till Saturday.

"I'm upset about communication," said Shane Burgess, who lived in an apartment.

Park at Hurstbourne managers told their residents they can come and get what's left out of their burned apartments on Friday and Saturday.

"But as of 5 PM on Saturday, I need to have everything out by then, as if I am being evicted as if we did something wrong," said Jennie Born, whose apartment was destroyed.

Born worries about the future. While she was offered another apartment, she doesn't know if she wants to stay there after everything she's been through.

"I don't understand why we are trying to do this so fast and why they can't provide security for our possessions until we are absolutely certain this is safe," said Born. Not to mention she doesn't have anywhere to store what can be saved.

While a lot of donations have been pouring in from the community, these residents say they wish they could be delivered because a lot of people aren't able to get down to the apartment office where the donations are being kept.

"The people that should be down here everyday asking us what are your needs, what would make it more comfortable, what would help you recover are not," said Burgess.

Apartment managers did not wish to go on camera, but tell us they are doing everything they can to make sure their residents are safe and taken care of.