Helix Apartments fire: St. Louis Park residents still locked out
Helix apartment resident still want belongings
A full week after a fire tore through the Helix apartments in St. Louis Park some residents are still trying to recover their belongings. FOX 9’s Leon Purvis has the latest.
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. (FOX 9) - One week after a fire tore through the Helix Apartments, some residents are still waiting to find out what they can salvage from their homes.
Residents seek answers after fire at Helix Apartments
What we know:
A couple who lived in the building told FOX 9, "I didn't even have a computer to go to work on Monday, so just everything, having to think about, what are we going to need to replace?"
They have not been allowed to return to their apartment to see what is left.
The couple said, "We could still see into the windows of our apartment, and it's on the first floor. Everything looked visually intact."
City officials told FOX 9 that two of the three buildings at Helix Apartments are structurally safe.
The third building, where this couple lived, has been declared uninhabitable.
"They have stated that the building has been condemned by the city and by the fire department, and because of that, no one is being allowed access," the couple said.
The fire damaged about 90 units, but the couple said, "The fire stopped short of the majority of the units. It didn't even make it to the halfway point of the entire Helix building."
The city says it is open to limited escorted access for some residents, but any access must be approved by the building owner and property management.
So far, this has not happened for the couple FOX 9 spoke with.
Residents hope to recover sentimental items
Dig deeper:
Many residents are not just worried about big items like beds or couches, but about essentials and sentimental belongings.
The couple said, "We're not worried about getting a bed or couch out. It's things that you know family members have been passed down by family members, and you know different things, like that you can't just go and buy again."
The city says it has offered property management a list of units that could qualify for limited escorted access inside the condemned building.
FOX 9 reached out to QT Property Management for comment but has not heard back.
For now, some residents are left looking at their homes from the outside, still waiting for answers about what they can recover.