LOUSIVILLE, Colo. (KDVR) — Following a story run by the FOX31 and Channel 2 Problem Solvers, more residents in the Bell Flatirons apartments reached out for help and to share their stories.
“I had to see a doctor and a doctor had to demand I was released for respiratory issues,” Jake Kirkland, a former resident at the complex, said.
Kirkland and his girlfriend Christina Doncell had to evacuate the day of the fire. They said they returned the next day and knew instantly the conditions inside were no longer livable.
“Every time you turned the heat or AC on the whole house would smell like smoke,” Doncell said.
She said starting Jan. 2 they started their back and forth with management to either get the unit cleaned and fixed professionally for smoke damage or let them out of their lease.
“The doctor told me if I’m living in the house I should wear an N95 mask, even to sleep,” Kirkland said.
The couple also had to get rid of several items, including everything in their bedroom, because it was heavily damaged by smoke. According to the couple, the complex asked them to pay over $3,000 to break their lease and move out.
“It really showed a lack of sympathy for everyone who went through this,” Doncell said.
Kirkland went to visit a doctor three times before getting the note that got them out of the unit.
“Three months before the fire, I put in a new air filter. That same air filter was there the day we moved out,” Kirkland said.
Another resident, who wanted to remain anonymous over the fear of losing her security deposit, reached out to the Problem Solvers explaining her similar situation.
“In terms of our property we had to dump all our furniture because it smells like smoke,” the resident said.
She also stated they never lived in the unit again after Dec. 30, saying that it was unlivable. At that point, they started renting another property in the area, but management at Bell Flatirons still required her to pay rent for both January and February.
“It sucks but it’s better than living with headaches and sore throats,” the resident said.
FOX31 and Channel 2 reached out to management again requesting another interview. That was declined but we were sent a statement:
“We continue to work directly with our residents who have come to us with concerns and we encourage residents to reach out to the community’s General Manager if they need additional assistance.”
Spokesperson for Bell Partners