Roseville Apartment Fire Still Leaves Residents Homeless

Late Wednesday, as many as 70 Roseville residents remained unable to return to their apartments because of a fire the night before at the Centennial Commons complex. 

"We are not quite sure about (when) people (can be) moving back," said Roseville Fire Chief Tim O'Neill. He said a fire on a second-floor apartment at 2825 Pascal St. N. resulted in extensive smoke damage on that level with lesser smoke damage to units on the first and third floors of the 23-unit building.

O'Neill speculated that some residents might be able to move back to their apartements within a couple of days or by early next week, depending on how quickly Centennial Commons can accomplish a building cleanup. But a longer return period awaits tenants whose apartments suffered greater damage, he said.

Centennial Commons owner Mike Swenson said that three units in the 2825 building suffered extenive damage. He estimated  the damage to the building at $400,000 to $500,000.

"Thank God, nobody was hurt," said Swenson, whose Centennial Commons totals some 190 units spread over several buildings.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, O'Neill said.

Meanwhile, the Twin Cities chapter of the American Red Cross found temporary hotel housing for about 12 people from the 2825 Pascal St. building, said Lynette Nyman, a spokeswoman for the disaster relief agency.  The remainder of the apartment building's residents are staying with family or friends, she said.

Nyman said the Red Cross provides displaced residents with up to three nights of temporary housing while the agency also assists those people with recovery plans.

Sharice Stewart, a 40-year-old mother of three boys, was among displaced Centennial Commons residents put up in a hotel. Stewart said she was fortunate that her apartment only susrtained smoke damage.

"Other than that, I am in good health and nobody was injured," Stewart said. "But it is a little stressful that I can't go home."

As she returned to her apartment to retrieve a couple boxes of belongings, Stewart said there was a possibliity that she might get a different apartment at the Centennial Commons complex.

The Roseville Fire Department responded to the apartment building fire at about 7:45 p.m. Tuesday and was on the scene for about four hours. The department had assistance from, among others,  the Lake Johanna, Maplewood, St. Anthony, New Brighton and Maplewood fire departments.