PETERSBURG, Va—- Petersburg firefighters responded to a fire alarm at Carriage House apartments just before 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, battling smoke and an activated sprinkler system that caused water damage across multiple units.
Deputy Fire Chief Christopher Magann said a kitchen fire triggered the sprinkler system, leading to water damage in other parts of the building. Six apartments were affected — five of them occupied.
"It's a total of six affected apartments. Five were occupied. Those five occupied dwellings are going to be put in hotels until the repairs and stuff can be made to their to their apartments and they can reoccupy," Magann said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The incident comes only a few months after tenants were forced to spend weeks in hotels when the building was deemed uninhabitable by the city.
Longtime resident Tyrone Parker said he first heard the alarm and did not think much of it until he opened his door.
"When I opened my door and I saw the ceiling falling, water all over the floor, outside and inside my apartment, I went knocking door to door, telling her this is not a drill," Parker said.
Displaced residents were transported by city buses to the Petersburg Transit Center while fire crews worked inside the building. Volunteers, the Red Cross, and the Petersburg Department of Social Services were on hand to pass out food and assist with next steps.
Petersburg City Councilmember Charlie Cuthbert, whose district includes Carriage House, said the pattern of crises at the building concerns him.
"It seems periodic and repetitive, and I don't know of any other facility in Petersburg, fortunately, that seems to lurch from crisis to crisis," Cuthbert said.
For Parker, the situation is unsettling.
"It's a scary situation to be in," Parker said.
Property managers at Carriage House will be responsible for housing the displaced individuals. A timeline for when residents can return to their apartments has not been determined.
