'We Sat And Cried For Awhile': Fire Destroys Vinita Apartment Building, Displacing Nearly 50

Nearly 50 residents in Vinita tried to figure out what to do after a fire destroyed their apartment building. One woman said Burroughs Manor was the last place she lived with her husband before he died, and she just wanted to know if some of their family heirlooms survived the fire. 

“We sat and cried for a while, and we missed everyone,” said one of the residents, Rita Havenar. 

Havenar lived at Burroughs Manor for more than a decade, “next week, I would have been starting my 14th year,” she said. 

She said it was a special place for her family, but she was unsure of what if any of her priceless heirlooms were left.

“Two antique pieces of furniture in there that I'd love to get out. One my husband bought me one of my mother's, and then I have an antique quilt that my great-grandmother made my father back in 1946," said Havenar. 

On the afternoon of July 26th, 2024, flames destroyed most of the third floor, damaging several apartments. 

“All of us walked out with the clothes on our back, our walkers, sometimes our purse, sometimes the medicine, and sometimes we didn't have our medicine," Havenar said. 

Rita’s friend Sue Poucher said at first, she wasn’t sure what was happening.

“There was that much smoke in a very short period of time, which means it wasn't a normal kitchen fire, you know what I mean. So that's when I knew it was a little more serious,” Poucher said. 

Tom Gorman is the president of the property management company. He said he was amazed by the response from the community. 

“We had 47 residents in that building. Out of there, there were only seven that had to stay last night at a community shelter the church put up, so that's an amazing response for the city to come out and take care of the people it's incredible," said Gorman. 

Even though they may have lost everything, Rita and Sue were thankful to still have each other. “If it wasn't for my understanding of who I am in relation to God, I would be, I would be really mad, and really upset," said Poucher. 

The property management company said it does plan to rebuild. It is getting necessary items out of the building like medication and CPAP machines for the residents. It's asking everyone else to stay out of the building for their own safety.

They have also started a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the residents.