DETROIT (WXYZ) — Residents at the Kamper Stevens apartment building in downtown Detroit are still awaiting power. Electricians are at the building actively working to fully restore power.
Monday around 3 p.m., the power went out due to a fire. The city said one woman died and two other residents suffered smoke inhalation.
The city said someone spilled water that got into an electrical outlet in the 10th floor stairwell.
“What’s going through my mind is it shouldn’t have happened. It should have never happened," Ms. Glenda said.
Hear more from Ms. Glenda on the apartment fire in the video below:
Ms. Glenda, who lives on the 14th floor, called the water spillage an avoidable incident. After hearing the fire alarms, she said she kept calling her neighbor who was unresponsive.
"I believe she panicked and was doing it on her own and she did not make it. But again, it shouldn't have happened," Glenda said.
The city said the woman died in the stairwell while evacuating and had suffered a medical crisis. Firefighters discovered her and tried to resuscitate her but were unable to.
“Eventually, they came and got me," Glenda said.
Belinda Jones said, “It was tiresome coming down the steps. It was tiresome walking down all those steps.”
She stayed at Hotel David Whitney Monday night. Residents say the apartment management allowed residents to stay there or the Element Hotel.
Rockeith Jackson said the current conditions aren't good for seniors and only one elevator works.
“It’s very toxic in there. The smell,” he said. “I had some groceries. All my groceries are going to probably spoil."
Irene Igol said, “Listen, in a fire, you’ve got to get out fast. You gotta get out very fast. It’s nothing to play with.”
She and her husband Mar, live on the 18th floor. On Tuesday, Igol came back to grab some refrigerated items to barbecue at the park before they go bad.
She recalled the white smoke and fumes that led to panic.
“We lost contact with one another. A fireman put me on an elevator and helped me down and I kept calling my husband, 'Mark, Mark! Where are you? Where are you?' I had my mask on, but he didn’t answer. So, I’m panicking," Igol explained.
What she said felt like an eternity was about 10 minutes when they reunited outside.
Sharon Richardson said, "This is really affecting me. And thank you for coming and keep an eye on this for us, for our well-being. We've lost a resident here now; I've got to go up their now and I gotta inhale this stuff. It made me sick yesterday."
