Eighty mostly elderly residents are still displaced almost three weeks after a fire forced them from their homes in an apartment building on Birmingham’s south side. City officials say the fire was contained to just two units but damaged much of the building, and that it’s unclear how long repairs will take.
James Bush is among those who has been displaced. He was at work at the Veterans Affairs Hospital when he learned the building he lives in had caught fire.
“I was watching the news,” Bush said. “I was setting myself up for work and I was just watching the news. And they said, the Birmingham Trades Towers — there’s been a fire and everyone’s being evacuated. And I went, ‘oh please! Come on!’”
Bush hurried home to find that he and roughly 80 other tenants had to leave the building. Some sheltered at Irondale United Methodist Church, while others have gone to stay with family members.
The Red Cross and several other organizations are working to find permanent housing. The VA was able to place James Bush and 26 other veterans in a hotel. Bush says staying in a hotel will bring a little normality to his situation.
“They’re trying to set it up so we can go to work,” Bush said. “Because I don’t own a car and I get off at midnight. You know, no buses, no nothing is running at night.”
The VA will pay for these veterans to stay in the hotel for up to 45 days. The remaining residents have been shuffled around, so far, to four different shelters in just three weeks. It’s all part of a waiting game while the building is repaired. Don Lupo is with the Mayor’s Office of Citizen Assistance. He says 45 days might not be long enough.
“If I’m guessing, and I am guessing, I’m gonna say two moths,” Lupo said.
That’s how long Lupo estimates it could take for the apartments to be move-in ready.
Lupo oversees the building permit process. He’s working with the owners and Arbour Valley Management, which oversees the property, to ensure all construction permits are expedited. That’s something that doesn’t happen very often when government is involved.
“Look, we’re city government, and bureaucracy is almost second nature,” said Lupo. “But in a lot of cases, they don’t have time for roadblocks.”
Arbour Valley Management did not respond to interview requests, but Lupo says the management team has received only a demolition permit so far. And, bureaucratic roadblocks aside, the group is also dealing with a bedbug infestation, which Lupo says is not uncommon in situations like this.
“This is an older building. You’re dealing with an older population,” Lupo said. “Things are going to go wrong.”
But before the building owners can apply for construction permits, and before crews can begin rebuilding, they’ll need to get rid of the bedbugs. That tacks on more days to the process, leaving more uncertainty to the elderly residents who just want to go home.