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TUESDAY. JANUARY 8, 2008
Residents rebuild and recover after fire
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Susan Thome and Kristin Pietrowicz jumped 25 feet from their balcony during a fire at their apartment complex
in Colonial Village at Highland Hills on Sept. 30. Both sustained foot and spine injuries, and one woman died.
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News
Apartment blazes displaced dozens
BY SARAH FRIER
STAR WRITER
Kelli Gaskill said she woke up
when her dining room windows
shattered from the heat. Kristen
Pietrowicz said she woke up when
her curtains illuminated with
flames.
Early in the morning of Sept.
30, residents of Carrboro’s Colonial
Village at Highland Hills saw
their apartments go up in flames.
TWenty lost their homes.
Two women, Pietrowicz and
Susan Thorne, were forced to
jump off their balcony and sus
tained serious foot and spine inju
ries. And one woman, 55-year-old
Gloria Ines Suarez, died.
The residents of Highland
Hills, and others displaced by
the string of apartment fires that
struck Orange County at the end
of the year, have spent the past few
months rebuilding and recovering
from the loss of their homes.
Still, the Highland Hills fire
w'as unique.
“In the history of the Carrboro
fire department, that fire would
rank in the top five,’ Deputy Chief
Trey Mayo said. “That's about a
hundred-year history.'
When the fire ripped through,
roommates Thome and Pietrowicz
said they had no choice but to
jump off their balcony. Although
they survived, both shattered their
feet and injured their spines.
Both women are wheelchair
dependent until recovery —a
color
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vague timeline, which depends
on the body’s ability to heal. On
Jan. 2, Thorne's last cast was
removed.
“I feel like I should be able to
get up and walk, but that wouldn't
be a good idea,* she said. “They
have these medical boots they
look like ski boots on my feet
now*
Thome is undergoing physical
therapy for her injuries and said
she hopes to return to her teach
ing job at Chapel Hill High School
when she can walk again. She said
her doctor told her she'll have
severe arthritis in both feet.
Suarez is survived by her son,
Juan Arango, a UNC student
She worked as a translator
for the Program on Integrative
Medicine at the UNC School of
Medicine and was known for her
dedication to the health and well
being of those in need.
She also was involved in mission
work with orphans in Mexico and
Honduras.
The building burned for 20
minutes before the fire depart
ment was notified, causing too
much damage for fire investigators
to determine a cause.
“It’s a reasonably old building
with an open attic, an open crawl
space, wood exterior and no sprin
klers.* Mayo said. “It’s constructed
in such a way that makes it easy
for fire to communicate through
it*
And as fire investigators strug-
(Ehr Saily Sar iipri
“lt’s hard. Its still
hard at times, and
I just try not to
think about it. ”
KELLI GASKILL survivor of September
FIRE AT CAARBORO'S COLONIAL VILLAGE AT
HIGHLAND HIUS APARTMENT COMPLEX
gled to find evidence of a cause,
victims said they’ve struggled to
rebuild their lives.
*1 got out with jeans, a T-shirt,
and two dogs,' Gaskill said.
Gaskill didn’t have renter’s
insurance to provide financial sup
port after the fire.
A little more than three months
later, with full-time employment
and help from the community, she
has a car, a triplex and a bed.
“I’ve got nothing else as far as
furniture is concerned, but I’m
pretty much settled.* she said. “You
do what you have to do. The main
thii ig is I’m pretty sad still about
losing my cat'
When Gaskill bought her new
apartment, she said she made
sure it came equipped with sev
eral smoke detectors and bought
another one just in case.
She said she wants to know
immediately if another fire starts,
and the memory is not something
she wants to relive.
“It’s hard. It’s still hard at
times, and I just try not to think
about it*
Contact the Features Editor
atfeatures@ unc.edu.