Fire Destroys Thanksgiving Plans For Dozens In Palm Springs

PALM SPRINGS -Dozens of people in Palm Springs had their Thanksgiving plans destroyed after a fire damaged their homes. Wednesday night a fire broke out at the Andalucia Terrace Apartment Complex. It’s the 3rd fire there, in just over a year.

About 65 people are out of their homes. Some are staying with friends and family members, but most have been moved to vacant units at Andalucia. Many families are sharing units with other people. Even though it’s a little tight most are embracing the situation and focusing on what they have to be thankful for.

“People were running down the halls and stairs, screaming,” says resident, Jessica Lynn Irvine.

It’s a night residents won’t forget.

“I’m on the second floor, so I was like Spiderman,” says resident, Ben Skinner. ” I crawled over and got down, that’s how I got out.”

It’s not the first time, this has happened. Wednesday night’s fire is the third fire at the Andalucia complex in just 13 months.

“I may look into another complex,” says Skinner.

For now, Skinner is living in another unit. Wednesday night’s blaze damaged his unit and dozens of others, leaving residents out of their homes on Thanksgiving.

“It’s not livable,” says Irvine.

Yet, there’s still a feeling of thanks. Skinner says the blaze could have been a lot worse.

“I’m just thankful not that many people got hurt,” says Skinner.

“I’m glad everyone is okay,” says Irvine. ” No one died.”

However five people did go to the hospital, two in critical condition.

“I saw the guy all burned,” says Skinner.

For most, the biggest lose is belongings. The smoke and heat damaged clothes, pictures and appliances.

“I got into my stuff and there is a lot of damage,” says Skinner.

The fire also ruined or changed some Thanksgiving plans.

“I was planning to have a friend over, but now it’s switched,” says Skinner.

Instead of spending Thanksgiving with one friend, it’s now a full house.

“Maybe God wanted us to be in a room with other people, maybe there is a reason,” says Irvine.

There has been a lot of talk about wether the complex has the proper fire safety equipment, like sprinklers and alarms. Fire crews say, the complex does have smoke detectors and alarms. However, they do not have sprinkler systems which is not a violation of the law. When the complex was built sprinklers were not a mandatory building code.