"We can't go in and start moving debris unless we start bracing up outside walls," Dustin said. He said a security fence would be put up around the property.
Residents and neighbors said Queens Ridge Apartments are home to diverse families, including Latinos, Indians, Pakistanis and other immigrants.
In a brief interview, Rina Sawhney said she and her husband, Bansi, have owned the complex for 20 years. She said the residents who were displaced were moved to vacant apartments, went to a nearby apartment complex with units available or were staying with relatives.
Tennille Williams, 32, called the owners "pretty decent folks," adding, "I just hope they get everybody settled."
Williams said she spent the night with her mother after firefighters punched a hole in the ceiling of her apartment in an attempt to prevent the fire from spreading.
The single mother had a baby boy two weeks ago and also has a 10-year-old son. She has been on maternity leave from her job as a dialysis technician. She returned to her apartment yesterday morning to collect a few personal items.
The fire happened on her birthday, she said.
"It's a birthday I'll always remember, that's for sure," she said.
gus.sentementes@baltsun.com
