YUBA CITY, Calif. — Wilfred Ramirez and his twin brother, Aaron, have only been living in Yuba City for the past three months. They moved from Texas to work in construction.
The two of them were among dozens of people who displaced after a fire broke out at Sandpiper Cover Apartment around 4 p.m. on Monday. Within minutes, the fire spread quickly destroying a third of the building's units.
Wilfred said they only had minutes to escape the quick-moving flames.
"They said, 'Hey, everything is burning. Let’s go, run,'" Wilfred recalled. "And I didn't believe them. I went outside, and I just saw a lot of smoke, and we got a bunch of stuff — whatever we could get."
Wilfred said they grabbed whatever was within arm's reach and escaped. They feel lucky to be safe, but today the reality has set in.
Wilfred said they lost all of the work tools they owned, an estimated value of $5,000.
"We're talking about air compressors, nail guns, table saws, drills all of that stuff," Wilfred said.
Some of the families spent the night at the Sutter-Yuba Fairgrounds where the Red Cross set up a shelter. On Tuesday, more than half of the families from the unit that were not damaged were able to return home.
Authorities are still working to determine the cause of the fire.
But families who live in adjacent buildings are now concerned about their own safety. Jason Huerta said he is now considering finding a new place to live with his family.
"I'm scared. I've got four kids at home, and I could be dammed if this happens at night, you know," Huerta said.
Huerta said his biggest concern is that there is no sprinkler system. Authorities say the apartment complex was built before sprinklers were required.
Even though some families were able to go back into their apartments on Tuesday, those whose apartments were destroyed are still waiting. The apartment staff told ABC10 the property owners are working on putting displaced families in other properties around town.
Meanwhile, the Ramirez brothers said they are still grateful, despite being displaced by the fire.
"As long as everyone is OK. Nobody got hurt — that is a good thing," Wilfred said.
Follow the conversation on Facebook with Mayde Gomez.
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