OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – A large fire at an unfinished apartment complex destroyed at least one resident’s future home.
Seven hours after the fight began, firefighters and onlookers were startled by the sound and sight of the structure’s roof caving in.
Moments later, shock set in for Kate Tiongson. She was set to move into a new apartment once it was completed.
”We moved from Roseville, California last Monday and we were the first ones to put our furniture in, Apartment 401 on the corner,” Tiongson said. “My whole life and everything was there, we flew here, so, nothing but memories.”
Kate Tiongson and her husband were ready to move into the Ovation Senior Facility, an early gem in the 500-acre Heartwood Preserve Development.
According to Ovation, no one has moved into the new living facility yet.
“Fortunately, none of our residents had moved in yet, and we are extremely thankful for that,” general manager Stephanie Grade said. We will be assessing the situation as soon as it is safe for us to tour the building and will communicate our plan for going forward as quickly as possible.”
The Tiongsons had been waiting for some time to move into their new home.
“It’s been several years, we were promised it was gonna be ready in January,” Tiongson added.
According to Scott Fitzpatrick, Battalion Chief with the Omaha Fire Department, officials are still working to find the cause of the fire.
”We’re still actively fighting it, so we haven’t been able to get up there, our fire investigators, to try to start determining the cause of it, that’s gonna be a daunting task, to get up there with the roof kind of burned through at this point,” Fitzpatrick said.
Now the Tiongsons, days from moving in, have found themselves in their new city with no belongings and no home.
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