Four families remain displaced nearly a week after a fire damaged a fourplex in El Paso\u2019s Lower Valley, leaving residents in hotels or staying with relatives as repairs get underway.<\/p>\n
The fire broke out shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday, forcing residents to quickly evacuate the property.<\/p>\n
One renter, who asked to remain anonymous, said she was inside making cupcakes with her young children when a neighbor began pounding on her door and telling the family to get out.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as we got the frosting out, that’s when my neighbor banged on the door, and he was just banging nonstop, saying to get out, get out,\u201d she said. \u201cSo within seconds… I open the door and I just see smoke and flames.\u201d<\/p>\n
The renter said she and her children have been staying in a hotel since the fire while continuing to go to school and work.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor them, it’s fun, but for, as a mom, it breaks your heart,\u201d she said. \u201cYou wanna be home, in your own bed.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said her family does not plan to return to the fourplex and is now looking to relocate.<\/p>\n
She also said their belongings have been affected by smoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s gonna take a while to get everything back to normal,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Property owner Sonya Ramirez said all four households at the complex were displaced by the fire.<\/p>\n
\u201cTenants are all over the place,\u201d Ramirez said. \u201cI have some tenants that are with family temporarily. I have tenants that have been in a mixture of Red Cross and hotels, just trying to get day by day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramirez said some residents have received assistance from the Red Cross as they navigate temporary living arrangements.<\/p>\n
\u201cI put myself in their shoes and just can’t imagine… what they’re going through, from the emotions of the fire to not knowing where you’re going to be night overnight,\u201d Ramirez said.<\/p>\n
Ramirez believes the fire started outside the building and was caused by a discarded cigarette butt.<\/p>\n
RECOMMENDED: El Paso police arrest 3, including 2 from Fort Hancock, in Rim Road double murder case<\/a><\/p>\n KFOX14 reached out to the El Paso Fire Department about the cause of the fire.<\/p>\n The department said it did not have that information available at this time.<\/p>\n As repairs begin, Ramirez said the timeline for residents to return depends on which unit they lived in.<\/p>\n She hopes the units farther from the fire damage could be ready for residents within the next one to two weeks.<\/p>\n However, she said repairs to the two units connected to the area with the most fire damage could take between one and three months, depending on inspections, repairs and insurance.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is just one of those life-changing events,\u201d Ramirez said. \u201cI don’t think you’re ever prepared for something like this. You hear about it and you see it on the news, but you never think it’s going to happen to you or anybody close that you know.\u201d<\/p>\n Ramirez has started a GoFundMe<\/a> to help the four displaced families with expenses including temporary housing, storage, professional cleaning, food, clothing and other relocation costs.<\/p>\n According to Ramirez, the funds will be used to help cover immediate expenses for the four households as they work to find temporary or permanent housing and recover from the fire.<\/p>\n RECOMMENDED: Police ID victims of the Rim Road double murder in Central El Paso<\/a><\/p>\n