Boarding house fire leaves 30 homeless

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Many residents who lived inside the Forest Avenue boarding house that caught on fire two days ago spent their Sunday rummaging through their apartments to salvage everything they could.

On Friday, around 30 people were forced out of their apartments in the middle of the night as flames burst through their homes.

Resident John Hodde said, "I got up and put on my clothes and came out and the hallway was full of smoke."

Some residents were lucky enough to gather many of their belongings including Brian Miller. "I lucked out because I am right above the bar which is where I think the fire started. 

Concerns have turned to where the residents will now live. The boarding house they called home included rooms where rent for some of them ran from $200-$285 a month.

Dan Jendrowski whose sister owns the building said, "Everything they owned was in their room; a lot of that was destroyed. They're living in a homeless shelter where they can only be there to sleep. The rest of the time they have to leave the building and be out on the streets."

So far, the building owner has only been able to track down four open rooms elsewhere which is not nearly enough for everyone.

Time at the shelter they're currently staying at is running out fast. They are housed in a homeless shelter until the beginning of March and then they have to leave. A lot of them don't have transportation or resources to even contact people to figure out what to do.

Jendrowski said they believe the fire started in the back office of the bar on the first floor.

Residents are in need of jackets, warm clothing and a place to live.  Donations can be made to the Restoration Society or the Altamont House.