PITTSBURGH \u2014 It\u2019s been six months since the fire at the Jefferson Apartment building on Forward Avenue. Many said it\u2019s a day they will never forget. <\/p>\n
PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Massive fire destroys apartment building in Pittsburgh\u2019s Squirrel Hill neighborhood<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t forget that. There is no way you\u2019ll ever forget that,\u201d said Joe Sickler, who owns the auto shop across the street. <\/p>\n PHOTOS >>> Massive fire at Squirrel Hill apartment building<\/a><\/p>\n Sickler said he had a front-row seat, watching what has happened since the day of the fire at the Jefferson Apartments. <\/p>\n PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Onlookers left shocked as large fire destroys apartment building in Squirrel Hill<\/a><\/p>\n His business acted as a safe place when firefighters battled the flames, and tenants watched their homes burn to the ground. Now, six months later, he\u2019s upset by what the property has become.<\/p>\n PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Apartment building destroyed by fire in Squirrel Hill was in community for over 100 years<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not happy with the way it looks,\u201d said Sickler. \u201cThere are people out here that need housing. People were displaced from that place.\u201d<\/p>\n PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> \u2018I don\u2019t know how I\u2019ll move forward:\u2019 International student loses crucial document in apartment fire<\/a><\/p>\n At least 42 people lost their homes because of the fire. Channel 11 spoke with a woman who says since that day she has been getting all of her information from the local news and was left without answers and without her belongings.<\/p>\n PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Residents displaced by massive apartment fire in Squirrel Hill begin picking up the pieces<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe never got an explanation. We just had to see what we found online,\u201d said Mandy, who lived at the Jefferson Apartments.<\/p>\n PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Federal disaster loans available for residents of Squirrel Hill apartment destroyed in fire<\/a><\/p>\n She was one of the tenants who had a few of her items saved, thanks to the Pittsburgh Fire Department.<\/p>\n PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Pittsburgh Mayor Gainey declares Disaster Emergency following Squirrel Hill apartment building fire<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThose are the only photos I had from my childhood and of my dad who had just passed away. So if I didn\u2019t receive those I would have had nothing from my childhood. The photos weren\u2019t online anywhere,\u201d said Mandy.<\/p>\n Although she\u2019s had to rebuild and find a new home, the letters from her late father were priceless.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I didn\u2019t have those, I think I would be in a much different place mentally now,\u201d said Mandy. \u201cBut the fact that I have those, I was able to move on more easily.\u201d<\/p>\n PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Tenants thankful for support; city approves demolition of Squirrel Hill apartment destroyed by fire<\/a><\/p>\n The fire was ruled an accident, caused by an electrical issue in the utility closet in the basement of the building.<\/a> Channel 11 has not received any communication from the property owner, Sheldon Zytnick, since the fire. <\/p>\n PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Families who lost everything in apartment fire being helped by the Sally and Howard Levin Clubhouse<\/a><\/p>\n Mandy says she received one email and one phone call from Zytnick the day of the fire. Her focus now is to move on \u2013 and help others the way people helped her.<\/p>\n PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Demolition starts on Squirrel Hill apartment building destroyed by fire<\/a><\/p>\n Mandy said, \u201cI\u2019ve been volunteering with the Red Cross, so that kind of helps in ways because I see a lot of other people experiencing this, and I know it\u2019s not just me that this happened to, and I\u2019m able to help there.<\/p>\n Joe at Lifetime Auto says the biggest takeaway is that no one got hurt and they are hoping this property will be used soon to help Squirrel Hill find closure and move on.<\/p>\n Download the FREE WPXI News app<\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/p>\n Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. | Watch WPXI NOW<\/a><\/p>\n TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS <\/p>\n \u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n