49 residents displaced after fire

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Smoke filled an otherwise dark sky on Tuesday, November 16, 2010. It poured out of balcony doors and seeped from under the gutters of the Pine Manor Apartments in West Lafayette.

A fire that sparked late Monday re-ignited early in the morning of the day after. The blaze displaced all 49 Pine Manor Apartment residents, including Rita Farrell.

"I could hear the sirens in the background and went to immediately wake up my daughter to tell her we were probably going to have to leave again,” Farrell said. “Not even 30 seconds later police were knocking on everyone's door. They were telling us it was time to go."

West Lafayette Fire Chief Phil Drew said the blaze was difficult to fight because of the way the building was built. The fire could not be contained to just one floor.

"It was in the walls and it is moved from apartment to apartment, from level to level,” said Chief Drew. “It was not just breaking out and being real visible so we could not easily get to it."

Crews from West Lafayette and Purdue put the fire out for good around 5:30 Tuesday morning, but many of the items in most of the units had either smoke or fire damage or they were soaked.

"That apartment holds many of our possessions, but we can replace them," Farrell said.

Chief Drew said investigators are still looking for the reason why this fire sparked, displacing Farrell, and the 48 others who call Pine Manor home.

The Red Cross responders set up temporary housing for 27 of the complex's 49 residents. Red Cross officials said many of those staying in their temporary housing were Purdue students.  Fire Chief Philip Drew said 30 of those evacuated were international Purdue students.

Mike Brzezinski, dean of international programs at Purdue, said that the students have been placed in Purdue Village. He said almost all of the displaced students and scholars are from China. The Purdue Chinese Student and Scholar Association and the University Religious Leaders have been mobilized to assist the students. Counselors from the Dean of Students Office are also assisting.