Families Homeless After Apartment Fire in Grand Bay

Fourteen families were left homeless when an early morning fire struck the Homestead Inn Apartments in Grand Bay early Sunday morning. Vieva Battiste said she smelled the smoke. She said her ex-husband and a neighbor knocked on the door and told her to get out. She and her two children threw on their clothes and watched their apartment and belongings burn from a neighbor's home.

Jennifer Caine said she thought she heard people arguing while trying to sleep at about 6 a.m. She said she got up and looked out the window and saw smoke. She scrambled to get her four children up and out of the apartment. They had to climb out of the window because the door was jammed.

Firefighters responded quickly but Grand Bay Fire Chief Bill Sarver said the apartment building was already fully involved when they arrived. They got some help from Bayou La Batre, St. Elmo and Seven Hills firefighters. Five hours after the call came in, the fire was out and the fourteen apartments, plus the belongings of residents had been reduced to ashes.

The state fire marshall has been called to investigate. Sarver says the cause of the fire is not yet known, neither is the origination point.

Homestead owner David Reid says he will rebuild the apartments. He said he's owned them about a year and they underwent a renovation some months ago. He's asking for help to find somewhere for his tenants to live in the meantime. Reid said he will even put in a call to FEMA to see if any trailers might be available for his tenants.

The Red Cross is providing assistance to the fire victims with clothing and lodging for 72 hours. They will also help the victims work with various agencies who can help get them back on their feet. Red Cross spokesman Elizabeth Saunders says the agency has responded to 21 fires since Friday.

No one was injured in the Grand Bay fire.