PHOTOS: Fire displaces all residents at complex

No one injured; owner says all 30 units were occupied

Pine Bluff firefighters battle a blaze near the rear of the two-story Country Club Plaza apartment building Wednesday in Pine Bluff.
Pine Bluff firefighters battle a blaze near the rear of the two-story Country Club Plaza apartment building Wednesday in Pine Bluff.

PINE BLUFF -- Fire officials in Pine Bluff are investigating the cause of a fire Wednesday morning that displaced residents of all 30 units of the Country Club Plaza apartments.

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Country Club Plaza apartments resident Noera Jacinto (center) wipes away tears as she is consoled by Mary Reginio (right) as they watch firefighters fight a blaze Wednesday in Pine Bluff.

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Pine Bluff firefighters battle a fire Wednesday at the Country Club Plaza apartments, which sustained heavy damage and displaced the residents of all 30 units at the complex at 4201 S. Cherry St. All the tenants got out and no one was injured, Fire Chief Shauwn Howell said. He said the cause was under investigation. More photos are available at arkansasonline.com/galleries.

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Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

A map showing the location of the fire at Country Club Plaza apartments.

Pine Bluff Fire and Emergency Services responded to a call at 9:43 a.m. about a blaze at 4201 S. Cherry St. A news release from the department said 20 firefighters from seven companies responded to the scene, which is within walking distance of Pine Bluff Country Club.

The report said all occupants had been evacuated from the structure by the time fire crews had arrived. There were no injuries, but the two-story brick and frame complex sustained heavy damage, Pine Bluff Fire Chief Shauwn Howell said. Fires crews were still on the scene at 4 p.m., according to the news release.

[GALLERY: Photos from the fire scene]

The complex was arranged in a square shape with a swimming pool in the middle. Heavy smoke and flames were coming from the north side of the complex when the first firetruck arrived, Howell said in his report. Most of the damage was to the back half of the complex. While firefighters were targeting the remaining "hot spots," the roof collapsed on a second-floor apartment and a south-side wall fell away from the structure.

"There was a lot of debris falling," Howell said.

He said it could be a while before officials determine what caused the fire.

Resident Kendra McLemore, 29, said she heard her next-door neighbor's smoke alarm go off, went outside her apartment and "saw smoke everywhere." McLemore said she grabbed her month-old baby, Kenedi, and exited quickly.

"He said he was cooking something, cooking something with some grease," McLemore said of her neighbor. "That's what he said."

McLemore said she woke up her boyfriend, Kevin Moore, before she exited with her baby. The smoke and fire was so out of control by that point that Moore had to jump off a second-story balcony, McLemore said. Moore landed on his back and suffered scratches to his hands, she said.

A sister, Kalisha McLemore, 22, and an aunt, Monika Johnson, 37, also shared the apartment, McLemore said.

Some residents went around the complex knocking on doors, warning of the fire, once they saw the smoke.

"People got to screaming and everybody got to running," Kendra McLemore said.

The apartment complex is owned by Sam Alam of Pine Bluff and Shana Yesmin, who lives elsewhere. Alam said they bought the complex about seven months ago.

Alam estimated that 75 percent of the complex was destroyed. He said late Wednesday morning that he was already in conversations with other apartment complex owners in the city to help displaced residents find other places to live.

"I'm hoping maybe 10 [apartments] can be saved," Alam said, holding a stack of file folders with information about the tenants.

Alam said the complex was completely rented out, but he said he didn't know how many people lived in each apartment. At least three residents standing outside the complex watching the fire said they had five people living in each of their apartments.

"You know how people get their friends and relatives to come stay with them," said a part-time apartment manager who declined to give her name. "No matter what you say, it doesn't matter. What can you do about it?"

Six of the units were occupied by Filipino families and close friends. At least least three families included members who worked at Jefferson Regional Medical Center.

The Rev. Frank DuPreez, a priest at St. Joseph Catholic Church, was on site trying to comfort members of his congregation. DuPreez said he was looking into how the church could help them get back on their feet.

"Many of these good people, especially the Filipinos, are my people," DuPreez said. "I just had to be here with them. I had to come and encourage them."

One cat was rescued from the blaze, but resident Robert Eakin said he couldn't locate his 13-year-old Siamese cat, "Sarah," and feared the worst.

"The apartment was burned up. She's probably dead," Eakin said. "I can't deal with this."

Some tenants said they planned to stay with relatives in the area. The American Red Cross set up a temporary shelter at the Pine Bluff First Assembly of God Church on Ridgway Road to assist others.

The Salvation Army also was at the site with blankets and hot drinks and planned to serve a chili supper there Wednesday evening, Salvation Army Capt. David Leonard said.

Some 50-75 tenants and onlookers lingered in front of the complex as firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze. The tenants and their families gathered in quiet circles as they tried to figure out what to do next.

"I lost everything," Kendra McLemore said. "I'll start over, I guess."

State Desk on 02/11/2016

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