LOUISVILLE, Ky. — This Monday will mark three weeks since a massive fire sparked at a NuLu apartment complex and displaced over 60 residents. Many of them said they lost personal items vehicles and even pets.
Chris Parisen was one of the many residents who had to quickly evacuate her unit when 310 @ NuLu was becoming engulfed in flames. She was awaken by someone knocking on her door. That's when she realized smoke in the hallways and was coming into her home. She tried grabbing both of her cats, but one was too panicked to allow Parisen to save him as smoke continued to pour into her apartment.
"I just feel really bad that I couldn't get him," Parisen said. "I really tried, I was just inhaling the smoke and I was starting to get so dizzy."
She's been finding comfort by confiding in some of her neighbors that were also displaced by the fire.
Karen Nehme said she and her husband had to evacuate from the top floor -- grabbing only a few items on their way out.
"I was able to be safe with my husband and our passports," Nehme said. "Our life story was in this apartment and we lost everything."
The Louisville Fire Department (LFD) requested for an emergency demolition of this building. Just four days later, crews were on the scene taking it down piece by piece. But just before that happened some residents saw something suspicious.
A resident shot video showing someone looking through the debris in the darkness. Ricky Braxton, another resident who lost their home and car, said many of them have been noticing some of their personal belongings they are able to track popping up across the city.
"There was no security at the time it's been on and off," Braxton said. "My AirPods were actually at the hospital the other day. Somebody's phone was down the street."
As crews continue to clean up the demolished building, multiple people without their home are still picking up the pieces of their lives.
"As a counselor, I believe in people helping people," Parisen said. "For myself, it's been really healing to have the support of everybody and to just feel less alone. I don't know what I would do without those guys."
Those who've been impacted got back their deposits from the complex and are now they're trying to figure out where they will call home next.
WHAS11 spoke with LFD who told us this case is still open and they are investigating. As of Thursday, they still do not know what caused the fire.
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