Wednesday, September 27th 2023, 9:16 pm
People who lived in the apartments above two Tulsa restaurants that burned down over the weekend are looking for ways to get back on their feet.
Tessa Snipes hasn’t been able to go back into her apartment but believes she lost everything in the fire. Now, she’s taking it all one step at a time.
Saturday’s fire took out restaurants Hodges Bend and Lowood and the four apartments above them.
"You can kind of see here all of those windows. That was my bathroom,” said Snipes. “That, going all the way back, was where I lived. As you can see, you're seeing sky come through, so the roof is gone."
Snipes was inside with her dog, Stella, when the fire started Saturday night.
"I thought it was small,” said Snipes. “So I came out, and where I was living, we have that rooftop and saw fire kind of smoldering and was like, 'ok, that's not good.'"
She said everyone and their pets made it out okay.
But now, she’s worried about replacing all her documents, clothing, and furniture, in addition to finding a new place to live.
"It's hard just kind of looking at it as like, I still kind of think like, 'I'm going to get to go back home,”’ said Snipes. “And, no, so now it's a total start over for me."
Now, all she can do is look back at pictures of the place she called home for more than a year.
Even though she’s lost a lot, she knows she will get back on her feet.
"Thankfully, I think God's given me a lot of peace about it,” said Snipes. “They are just things, and they can be replaced, and I'm really just so thankful for my friends and family."
Snipes has been staying with a friend in the meantime and said the Red Cross has also been helping.
She said she is thankful for the firefighters who battled the flames and for all the people who have reached out and offered support.
A friend of Snipes started a GoFundMe page to help her. A link can be found HERE.
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