Surviving and Rebuilding After a FIRE

January 23, 2024, at 4:35 pm, chaos unfolded as I faced every property owner’s worst nightmare—a fire ravaging my building. Smoke billowed from the units, flames leaped over the roof, and amidst the sirens and the spray of water, I stood, feeling utterly helpless. My building, my responsibility, was on fire. At From Paulette, I believe in the power of community and shared life experiences to help us overcome even the most devastating events.

Hearing someone yelling for help, I opened my front door when I saw smoke pouring out of Unit A’s front door. One of my tenants had escaped, visibly shaken and distraught. As I dialed 911 and described the scene, I peered into the apartment and could only see darkness and an ominous red glow about 15 feet in.

Time seemed very slow as I seemed to wait forever for the firefighters, who arrived in less than 10 minutes, yet it felt like an eternity. The flames were so intense that they had blown out large windows and shot over ten feet above the roof. I watched, powerless, as the firefighters worked tirelessly to contain the fire, cutting a massive hole in the roof to battle the blaze from above.

When the fire was finally extinguished, the true extent of the damage became clear. My apartment suffered fire damage to the balcony and kitchen, with holes in the ceiling and walls from the firefighters searching for hot spots. The entire building was covered in smoke and water damage, while the apartment where the fire started was destroyed. It was like a scene from a movie—unbelievable, yet all too real.

But the challenges didn’t end there. The night of the fire, I filed my insurance claim while the flames were still being extinguished, trying to stay busy to keep the tears at bay. Over the next few weeks, I faced the harsh reality that my damaged building had become a burglar target. Despite the best efforts of the local police, my apartment was broken into three times, on March 15, 2024, resulting in another fire. This fire was multiple fires set in my unit and left my belongings and my apartment completely burnt, and I found myself starting over once again.