Victims displaced after apartment fire scared to go back home

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Some families are still recovering after a massive fire put them out of their home.

A dozen families were displaced and seven people were sent to the hospital after an explosion at their apartment complex.

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Some of those families are still staying in hotels while others worry about their safety when they return back home.

The Travelodge hotel on Airport Road is where a lot of families were sent after that fire. Some families told Action News Jax the fire didn’t happen in their building specifically, but after the fire, the management got serious about their complaints of gas leaks.

Terell Hardeman lives in the Calloway Cove apartments with her family.

“I was told I could go home today or go home tomorrow. They said the gas leak was fixed I don’t see how it’s fixed that quick,” Hardeman said.

She was there Tuesday night when the gas explosion happened, leaving a mother and her three children with critical injuries.

Related: Inspectors found expired fire extinguishers two days after massive Jacksonville apartment fire

“I saw a lady in the front of her window in the kitchen, just standing there, and a child in the bedroom window just standing there, and the apartment was on fire. They went in to save them, all you seen was the little boy just drop,” Hardeman said.

Hardeman was one of the people who called first responders. She said it was terrifying to watch.

She and several neighbors have complained about various issues they feel were overlooked, including gas leaks. That’s why shes scared to go back home.

“After the fire happened, I went to go plug up my fan in the room. It shocked, like you could see the spark. They told me that my electrical problem was not the main concern right now," Hardeman said. "The main concern is the gas leak, and I feel like that’s a hazard as well. I can hit the light and it might switch it and start a fire as well.”

Other neighbors like Kayla Hutchinson agreed.

“My building had a gas leak and plus I had a gas leak in my apartment also,” Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson said she knew something was wrong because the two front eyes on her stove wouldn’t work and the entire building wreaked of gas. Now they want to see the problem thoroughly corrected before someone else gets hurt.

“They could’ve been prevented, trust me. I feel like they should just shut it down, give all of us vouchers to move somewhere else and get it right,” Hardeman said.

Other neighbors told Action News Jax about similar issues in their apartments not being addressed and about management not wanting them to speak with the media.

Action News Jax reached out to management to get their response and we are still waiting to hear back.

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