Residents displaced in North Austin fire Thursday look forward
Sheena Wendt went through her things Monday afternoon at her old apartment at the Bent Tree Apartment complex in north Austin. Some things are still intact, but other items are ruined.
AUSTIN (KXAN) – Sheena Wendt went through her things Monday afternoon at her old apartment at the Bent Tree Apartment complex in north Austin. Some things are still intact, but other items are ruined.
“That’s from Cuba,” she said, holding up a piece of art she collected years ago. “Things you can’t replace.”
In the early hours of Thursday morning, a fire started in one of the units in Wendt’s building. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but the fire damaged eight units, displacing 16 residents.
“I heard a frantic knock on my door, and it was my neighbor,” Wendt recounted. “He said, ‘We gotta go - fire.’”
“It took me a minute to kind of register that, and I nearly left without my shoes,” she continued. “It was about 34 degrees that morning. And so I had my jacket, my phone and some shoes.”
While no one was injured, the displaced tenants were all left without a place and items to keep them warm. Texas law has very few protections for renters in a situation like a fire. For example, landlords are not required to provide tenants with a temporary dwelling.
But the company that runs the property, Apartment Management Professionals, said they were able to offer temporary apartments at another site to all who were displaced.
"So they'll be in good hands,” said Casey Wall, the Bent Tree Apartments Community Manager. Now it's just a matter of making sure that everyone's [needs are met] because things like toilet paper, paper towels, food, they don't have that anymore,” she said. Any donations would be really, really appreciated."
After the fire, Wendt chose to move in with a friend while she hunts for a new apartment. While she said the experience is stressful, she is remaining positive.
“A lot of times life forces us into a change… and when that happens, it is typically some kind of tragic event,” she said. “What starts with a tragedy doesn't have to continue as one. It's how we respond to it.”