OLATHE, Kan. — Charred stairs, soot-covered walls and the lingering smell of smoke is what Magali Cardoza and her neighbors are coming home to each day since Sunday's fire at the Millbrooke Apartments.
Firefighters from the Olathe Fire Department broke into Cardoza's apartment to get her out.
"It was scary just waking up and to somebody saying, 'Come on, come on, let's go.'" Cardoza said. "And everything is turning pitch black in my bedroom even with the light on, it was just hard to breathe."
The acrid smoke and intense heat left plenty of damage.
"After [that], they did all the inspections and they told us to get our belongings as much as we could," Cardoza said. "And then not to stay here just because it was still really fresh in the air."
A spokesperson for the Olathe Fire Department said a fire marshal was told by apartment management they'd help residents find temporary units to stay in.
Cardoza says that's not the case.
"[They're] not really giving us an option to go to another unit, so either break your lease, get out, or you can just go ahead and deal with this right now as it is," Cardoza said.
KSHB 41 News reached out KDR Group who owns and manages the complex.
"The fire department certified the building safe citing there was no structural damage, the only inaccessible area was contained in specifically to unit #27 where the fire originated," Monique James, regional manager for KDR Group said in an email to KSHB 41. "We did have cleaners come out to clean the hallways and we had a certified electrician come out and he fixed all affected areas and turned the electrical back on."
But Jesse Duckworth, who lives next to where the fire began, doesn't think they've done much.
"I went and bought a bunch of cleaning supplies and some air filters and I stuck one next to the door, and have another one in the living room trying to get some of that stuff out," Duckworth said.
Still, James explained more of what was done after the fire.
"We had all the electrical repairs completed by a licensed electrician the very next day. The building was all cleared by 3 p.m. the following day," James said. "We did relocate the affected apartment to another available apartment that has been resolved as the OFD was advised. We have been working with each tenant personally on a case-by-case basis to best assist them in reasonable manner."
Duckworth doesn't have anywhere else to go and is forced deal with this situation.
On the other hand, Cardoza is hoping KDR will offer other alternatives.
"I'm hoping they can give us some more options," she said.
Those who would like to file a complaint about housing conditions or code concerns in the city of Olathe can do so on the "Olathe Connect" portal.
