Clean up begins after Villa Del Sol Condominiums fire, investigation continues

People living at Villa Del Sol Condominiums on North Beach are picking up the pieces after a massive fire damaged the building. KRIS 6 News crews rushed to the fire on Friday afternoon , to find the Corpus Christi Fire Department putting out the large flames that spread across several units.

Fire Chief Brandon Wade said crews arrived at the property within three minutes of receiving the call.

“We did have to move to a defensive posture, just because of the amount of fire that the firefighters were exposed to," Wade said. "We applied water to the exterior to try and stop some of the major part of the fire.”

More than 80 firefighters were on site to help. It’s still unclear what exactly caused the fire, but the cleanup began early Monday morning.

“So we’re putting together another crew and bringing in dumpsters and it’s just a process. It’s pretty extensive, I walked the building yesterday and there’s a lot of debris," Board of Directors and Home Owners Association for Villa Del Sol President Edna Schuligoj said.

Crews and even some neighbors helped to take away what was left of the building.

"We lost 18 units. That whole frontal area is probably going to be declared a disaster. It will need to be torn down," Schuligoj said.

The damage isn’t only to the structure, but also to condo owners, like Schuligoj, who no longer has the home she rents out to tourists.

“Losing it. I’m retired, so this was part of our nest egg, but we’ll deal with it," Schuligoj said.

KRIS 6 News talked with Corpus Christi fire officials who said the fire at Villa Del Sol remains under investigation. However, a department spokesman confirmed what several tenants of the property said about smoke alarms in the building.

Assistant Fire Chief Bill Belyeu said smoke detector's inside the building had been out for a while as they were in the process of being repaired/replaced.

The American Red Cross is also pitching in to help by providing housing and other essential resources to individuals in need.

“We partnered with one of our local nonprofit agencies to open up the boys and girls club as a shelter," Executive Director Angelina Garcia said. "Then we get to the busy work to make sure they have a hot meal. Then we go into recovery casework. That’s assessing their needs, if they use medical equipment or prescriptions.”

If you or you know someone was impacted by the fire at Villa Del Sol, the American Red Cross will continue offering resources to help. Management at the condominiums told KRIS 6 News they’re also doing their best to assist residents as well.

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