False alarms almost prove costly

XENIA, Ohio (WDTN) - Mindy the dog might be man's best friend, but Frank Weber had another ally on his side in escaping from a fire at his apartment building.

"Usually when the fire alarm goes off I just get out of the building," Frank says.

But not everyone had the same reaction when the Walter G. Sellers Apartments caught fire Sunday night.

Fire officials say some were so used to false alarms they ignored this one.

"That's why we had to pull them from the third floor down ladders because they didn't evacuate when they should have," says Xenia Fire Chief Kenneth Riggsby.

That makes it all the more amazing that of the more than 50 people inside the building, most being seniors or those with disabilities, only three suffered minor injuries.

Fire crews say five had to be pulled from the third floor by ladders while two others were carried down the stairs.

"Our guys did an outstanding job of getting a quick knock down on that fire and stopping it from spreading and that saved lives," Chief Riggsby says.

But moving on with those lives will take much longer.

Frank is one of the 33 people who spent the night at the shelter the Red Cross has set up in the First Church of Christ.

It's an answer to their prayers.

"The doors are staying open to these clients until we have a better understanding of what's going on," says Heather Thomas with the Red Cross.

With no word yet on when residents will be allowed back inside or get another place to stay, it's all Frank, Mindy and others have.

"It's been okay, but I think the majority of us are ready to go home," Frank says.

The investigation continues into what started the fire, but officials say it's not suspicious.

The damage amount is $400,000.