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The families that lived in the charred units all escaped without injury, but it was close. The fire spread so quickly, a man living in a second story apartment jumped out his bedroom window to escape the flames.
Around 3 a.m. a quiet complex turned chaotic.
"It was scary, it woke me right up," said Sasha Pokulok. He had only been asleep a couple hours. He plays professional hockey for the Stingrays and had a game earlier in the night."As soon as I woke up I knew something was wrong, it was a thick fog...First thing I thought was get the animals out of there."
Pokulok crawled through his apartment to find his dog and cat, while fire crept toward his front door. He had to toss both pets out the window, then himself.
Peggy Stanley lives behind the burned building.
"It was so nerve racking, I was afraid. I felt really bad because this is your livelihood and if you loose everything what do you do?" said Stanley.
Several of the renters are uninsured. The Red Cross is assisting.
"You've got to kind of stay strong and tell yourself its material and what you want the most is not material. It's obviously the people you care about," said Pokulok. Pokulok, grateful, his pregnant girlfriend happened to be out of town.
Three people were in this apartment when the fire started. They say they tried to put the fire out but it quickly spread out of their control. The fire department says had they not called 911 when they did, the outcome could have been far worse. Residents say the cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Several believe it may have been an electrical cause.
To help the victims of this and numerous other local disasters, a financial donation can be made to the Carolina Lowcountry Chapter of the Red Cross by sending a check to the American Red Cross, Carolina Lowcountry Chapter located at 8085 Rivers Ave., Suite F. North Charleston, SC 29406 or by calling (843) 764-2323 ext. 368. Click here to make a secure online donation to the Red Cross.
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