Shortly after thunderstorms moved through the Dayton area, the Beavercreek Twp. Fire Department received numerous calls about a lightning strike at the complex, Battalion Chief Kip Smith said.
When firefighters arrived, they saw flames coming through the roof and in the center of the building.
A sprinkler system in the building deployed, but there was no sprinkler system in the roof, he said.
The weight of the water firefighters used to put out the flames collapsed the roof and two floors of the building.
Firefighters inside the building beat a hasty retreat.
The floors apparently were made of a lightweight composite material that buckled under the weight of the water, Smith said.
All of the residents and firefighters escaped unharmed, Smith said.
Fire Chief David VandenBos said a damage estimate could be available by Tuesday, but the building appeared to be a total loss.
Forty-five to 60 residents were displaced, according to Jamison Noble, assistant property manager, who said he was busy trying to find temporary accommodations for everyone affected by the fire.
Construction of the Promenade complex, whose main address is 2691 Grange Hall Road, was completed in March 2008. The complex of 11 buildings and 238 units offers one- and two-bedroom apartment homes featuring dens, lofts and garages.
Craig Agne, 25, an engineer at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base who lived in one of the damaged units, said the complex houses a large number of Wright State University students and base employees.
He said he was worried about replacing educational material, as well as family photos.
Lindsey Schroeder said she was in her apartment when someone banged on her door, telling her to get out. She said she saw a small amount of smoke coming from vents in the roof, then went back inside to get her cats.
“We’ve lost everything we have,” said Schroeder, who shared an apartment with a friend.
The floor of her second-floor apartment partially collapsed onto a apartment below. Part of the side wall of her apartment was dislodged by the fire and water used to fight the flames.
Chance Hildreth, who was staying with his brother and sister-in-law in the apartment above Schroeder’s, grabbed his sister’s dog as he ran to the parking lot.
Asked which apartment was theirs, the sister-in-law, Cassy Gruenther, pointed toward the third-floor corner apartment and said, “the one you can see right through.”
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