NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — People who lived in 18 units at a Brentwood Oaks apartment building lost everything in a fire Monday night.
Adrienne Luu said her apartment on the 5th floor is gone as she looked at the rubble that was rolling down a hill. Luu said, "I wasn’t expecting to come back to it completely disintegrated."
She heard loud pops as a Good Samaritan knocked on her door, and was yelling that the roof was on fire. "I look out the window and next thing I see is flashing orange like so bright all over the trees," Luu said.
Fortunately, her boyfriend, Alejandro, and their dogs Leo and Sasha, got out safely.
"I’m very glad that the people who lived where the apartment unit that did catch on fire originally got out too,” Luu said, “Their cat didn’t make it."
On Tuesday, they waited for a locksmith to arrive because they didn't have any keys to get in their car. Luu said, "We didn’t have time to grab any of our belongings, we didn’t know if it was like a gas line, and it was going to explode."
ATF agents and the Fire Marshal with the Nashville Fire Department were on the scene investigating what happened. "I guess we won’t find out until the inspection is over," Luu said.
According to the American Red Cross, twelve displaced people stayed at a hotel. They're working to get food and medicine to at least seven families. To help others, you can also donateto the American Red Cross.
Adrienne said they graduated from Lipscomb University, so she stayed with a friend nearby. "Right now we’re lucky that we went to college here; so I have a lot of friends around," Luu said. She's worried renter's insurance won't cover everything she lost. Luu said, “Mentally I’m a little distraught. I’m not going to lie.”
On the bright side, a locksmith eventually arrived so she could get into her car. If you would like to help her recover, she has a Go Fund Me page.
For perspective, this is the second time a fire has erupted at this apartment complex. There was one in 2012 where a couple of firefighters were injured, and dozens were displaced.
