Agency officials know some residents will be staying with relatives and friends, he said.
Red Cross volunteers posted signs at the apartment building welcoming residents to the shelter because some residents may have been at work or elsewhere when the fire broke out.
Paul said he doesn't know how long the shelter will be in operation, but "we will not turn anybody away."
Red Cross volunteers are experts at disaster recovery, he said. "Our main goal is to provide that hug" for people in need.
UPDATE @ 7:01 p.m.:
The Dayton-Area Chapter American Red Cross is setting up a shelter at the Dayton Convention Center for victims of the Warren Street apartment building fire.
The shelter will be ready for occupancy later this evening.
INITIAL REPORT
An apartment building on Warren Street in Dayton is uninhabitable after a fire Wednesday afternoon believed to have been caused by an overloaded electrical outlet, District Chief Brad Baldwin said.
Crews responded about 2:40 p.m. to 208 Warren St., near U.S. 35, and found heavy smoke and flames coming from the back of the three-story building.
All of the occupants self-evacuated except for one individual firefighter/paramedics helped out of the building. That victim refused treatment.
Crews battled the fire on both sides of the building for about 45 minutes before bringing it under control, Baldwin said.
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“It went from the second floor all the way up to the roof very quickly,” he said.
Red Cross responded to help occupants of the approximately 25 apartments in the old building that has been rehabbed several times.
“It’s not livable at this time. The whole complex suffered heavy smoke damage,” Baldwin said.
He could not estimate the dollar amount in damage to the building and its contents, but said the damage was “substantial.”
No injuries were reported. The investigation is continuing.
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