38 residents displaced after fire at WinBeri apartments
Marietta firefighters look at the darkened WinBeri Place Apartments Tuesday evening after a fire that led to the evacuation of 38 residents. The building sustained heavy water damage after the sprinkler system activated. (Photo by Art Smith)
The lobby of WinBeri Place Apartments is seen Tuesday evening following a fire that began on the third floor. The sprinkler system activated, and the building sustained heavy water damage on all three floors. (Photo by Art Smith)
A Community Action bus is parked Tuesday evening in front of the former Harmer Elementary School, where residents of WinBeri Place Apartments were transported after a fire. (Photo by Kristen Hainkel)
Marietta firefighters look at the darkened WinBeri Place Apartments Tuesday evening after a fire that led to the evacuation of 38 residents. The building sustained heavy water damage after the sprinkler system activated. (Photo by Art Smith)
The lobby of WinBeri Place Apartments is seen Tuesday evening following a fire that began on the third floor. The sprinkler system activated, and the building sustained heavy water damage on all three floors. (Photo by Art Smith)
A Community Action bus is parked Tuesday evening in front of the former Harmer Elementary School, where residents of WinBeri Place Apartments were transported after a fire. (Photo by Kristen Hainkel)
Trending
MARIETTA – Nearly 40 residents of a Marietta apartment complex were evacuated Tuesday after a fire.
One person at WinBeri Place Apartments, 623 Virginia St., was injured and taken to a hospital, but additional information was not immediately available Tuesday evening, Marietta Fire Chief C.W. Durham said.
The Fire Department responded to WinBeri Place at 3:19 p.m., Durham said. The fire started on the third floor of the building.
Durham said the fire was extinguished within 15 minutes of the department's arrival.
Resident Billie Wilson recalled seeing a great deal of smoke in the hallway when she opened the door of her third-floor apartment.
"It was really scary," she said. "I saw smoke and heard a boom."
Wilson spoke after boarding a Washington-Morgan Community Action bus taking her to the former Harmar Elementary School, where some displaced residents spent Tuesday night. Durham said a total of 38 residents were displaced but it was not clear how many were taken to the school.
Buses from Marietta City Schools also helped transport residents, Durham said.
The American Red Cross of the Ohio River Valley is aiding the residents, Sharon Kesselring, executive director, said.
The cause of the fire was not known Tuesday evening. Durham said the Ohio State Fire Marshal's Office was on the scene investigating.
The fire activated the building's sprinkler system, resulting in heavy water damage on all three floors.