Resident recounts Escondido apartment fire as she figures out next steps

ESCONDIDO, Calif. (KGTV) – Two pieces of plywood cover the windows of Florence Walker and her daughter’s apartment.

“You see where that screen is on the ground? Where that window’s boarded up right there? That’s our unit,” Walker said.

But it couldn't block out what happened Wednesday morning on East Grand Avenue in Escondido, which started with a smoke alarm going off.

“So I’m thinking to myself 'OK — open up the windows, turn on the vent, put a fan on, air out the apartment,' because I’m thinking somebody’s cooking,” Walker said.

She wouldn’t be smelling someone’s home cooking. Not too long after that, she started hearing a man shouting warnings.

“He’s yelling 'Everybody get out, get out there’s a fire!' And I said 'Fire?' And by the time he got to my door; I’m like (sniffs) sniffing and all of a sudden, I smelt the wood burning,” Walker said.

The Escondido Fire Department told 10News the call for the fire came in just after 10 a.m.

“Immediately what went to my brain was 'dog,'” Walker said.

Walker also grabbed her pouch that had her wallet, ID and house keys before she got outside.

“That’s when I could see all the smoke was billowing the upper, upstairs apartment. Even this one right here — the one on the end had smoke billowing out. And I’m like 'OMG we are on fire,'” Walker said.

Crews found the fire in the attic of the building. Escondido FD said in total, 18 people, three dogs, three cats and one snake were displaced with all 12 units in the building rendered uninhabitable at this point.

“One person had actually just moved in like about two weeks ago, and this was his first apartment. It’s quite disheartening,” Walker said.

The fire department told 10News the property manager and the Red Cross have helped the residents find housing.

Red Cross said it has provided financial assistance and has case workers already helping those impacted by the fire.

“I got up this morning and I said, you know what - I said yesterday — with everything that happened — I said well, thank you Jesus because that could’ve been my life,” Walker said.