PRINCETON, IN (WFIE) -
Several residents in Princeton are still without permanent housing on Monday night after their apartments were damaged by a weekend fire, and there are still unanswered questions about what happened.
On Monday, investigators with the Princeton Fire Territory and the State Fire Marshal returned to take a second look at the damage.
Princeton Fire Chief Mike Pflug says the fire itself wasn't especially powerful. He said firefighters were able to put it out with a two gallon water can.
The challenge came when it was time to help residents get out of the building.
"Obviously most of the people couldn't help you, even though they could help you with their arms, but as far as walking, we set them on the ground and then our crews went back inside and got their wheelchairs and got them back out for them," Pflug said.
Fortunately, no one was hurt, and this week the investigation continues.
Taking a look at what's left behind, Pflug says the building has heavy smoke damage in the hallway, especially in the west end. He says the cause is still under investigation, but the department did call in the State Fire Marshal for a second opinion.
"Any time you have a commercial building like this, our department's policy is to call the State Fire Marshal to have them,"Pflug said.
Another group still hard at work from last weekend, is the Gibson County American Red Cross. Beds, food and clothing have been at the ready since Saturday.
"In this case, there was more compassion than normal. There was a lot more stress, a lot of people were dealing with losing their belongings. We were there as soon as the fire was put out," said Red Cross area coordinator, Jason Bradshaw.
Volunteers say they've seen around 20 people looking for help and they plan to assist them in finding a permanent place to stay.
"They'll be here around the clock until the last person is able to leave the shelter," Bradshaw said.
Pflug estimates that the total damage is about $200,000, but he says that with some repairs, this building can re-open as an apartment complex again.
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Princeton Fire Chief said firefighters were able to put the fire out with a two gallon water can.
