ST. LOUIS – More than two dozen people escaped a burning quad-plex apartment building with only the clothes on their backs on Monday.
The Red Cross is helping with immediate short-term needs, but neighbors are hoping the community will help the families in need.
“I was just sleeping, and then I heard like people running upstairs and the alarms, and I was like what’s happening and then I wake up,” said Evelin Reyes.
Reyes, 14, said she ran downstairs to her dad and saw flames near the kitchen.
“My dad opened the door, and we saw like the fire over there, and we just started running outside,” she said.
She said the families living in the building are from Honduras.
Her neighbors said it is heartbreaking to see the families running out of their homes with nothing.
”It is very sad. This is a very good neighborhood. These are immigrants and they really don’t have a lot to begin with, so it’s very sad that they should lose everything,” said Clyde Huff.
He hopes the community will help the nine adults and 15 children who are now dealing with water, smoke, and fire damage to their homes.
“It’s unfortunate that they should have to start all over again after starting all over again in this country,” Huff said. “It’s difficult enough coming to a new place and trying to make a living and trying to set up a home, and then to have this happen, it’s very sad.”