Displaced residents recount fire experience
Although the flames were extinguished early Sunday morning at the Heritage Apartments in Uniontown, the pain from the fire will be with the elderly residents for lived there for quite some time. Third-floor resident Tony Cuzzupe, who barely escaped the five-story building with his life and was hospitalized for two days with smoke inhalation and other health related problems, said he’s not sure if he will ever feel safe in the building again.
“Boy, I was really lucky,” said 82-year-old Cuzzupe. “My wife woke me up but by the time I got my shirt, trousers, shoes, cap and jacket on it was too late. I was trapped. I couldn’t get out my door because the smoke was so thick in the hallway.”
Cuzzupe said he went back into his apartment and broke out a window in order to breathe fresh air and shout for help.
“Thank God someone heard me,” said Cuzzupe. “If it hadn’t been for the firemen I would have been a goner. I couldn’t see anything outside the apartment door because the smoke was so bad and the electricity went out in the apartment about the same time I broke the window.”
Cuzzupe said if he had left the apartment when his wife Jane first told him about the fire he probably would not have had to be rescued.
“Jane and Buttons (the dog) got out but I never paid attention when they had those fire drills,” said Cuzzupe. “I just thought that this was another fire drill, and I guess I must have taken my time getting dressed.”
Cuzzupe said by the time firefighters got him out of the building he looked like a coal miner because his face and hands were covered with soot.”
Cuzzupe along with many of his neighbors said that they are very thankful to the Uniontown firefighters, Uniontown and state police, and EMS personnel who responded so quickly.
“If it hadn’t been for those fellows, I think a lot of us wouldn’t have made it,” said Cuzzupe. “Those guys really know what they are doing, and they saved our lives.”
Cuzzupe also said that he’s not looking forward to his first night back in the apartment.
“It will be like sleeping with one eye open,” Cuzzupe said. “After you go through something like this, it makes you a little afraid to go to sleep at night.”
John Wensing, a first-floor resident and newspaper carrier for the building, said he and his wife, Ruth, had a little more time to get out of the building than most residents because of where their apartment is located.
“Living on the first floor has its advantages, I guess,” said Wensing. “We had enough time to knock on several apartment doors to warn people that there was a fire.”
According to the state police report, Sunday’s fire started in a loveseat in a third-floor hallway. Police and city Fire Chief Myron Nypaver said the third floor sustained heavy smoke and fire damage.
State police fire marshal Thomas Maher said Tuesday that he still looking into the cause of the fire.
“We have looked at the building but we haven’t had a chance to talk to the residents yet,” Maher said. “The report will not be complete until the residents are interviewed.”
“This is very, very depressing,” Ruth Wensing said. “To be displaced like this at our age. We don’t know what’s going to happen to us because we haven’t heard from the management company in a couple of days.”
The Wensings, the Cuzuppes and 10 other residents of the Heritage Apartments have been staying at Mount St. Macrina since the fire.
Earl Bugaile, director of community relations for the Presbyterian Senior Care Network Management Company, said a meeting between the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Administration, Uniontown Senior Housing LTD and insurance adjusters was held Wednesday afternoon.
Bugaile said the group agreed that the 14 people who have been staying at Mount St. Macrina since Sunday would be placed in apartments in Uniontown and/or California by the end of the week.
Thirty-four residents were evacuated from the Heritage Apartments during the fire and three were hospitalized. Officials said the eldest resident, 96-year-old Mary Priselak, is doing fine.
Bugaile said the sisters of Mount St. Macrina have been “simply wonderful” to the residents.
Sister Jean Marie of Mount St. Macrina said, “We are glad that we could help. It’s been a pleasure to have them here. We are going to take them to the movies at Uniontown Mall today. They need to get out some.”