Tenants briefly return home to Sunstone Townhomes after massive fire

Friday marked the first time tenants and homeowners at the Sunstone Townhomes were able to return home after a massive fire tore through the complex on March 26.

People picked through the rubble, searching for any of their belongings that survived the fire.

“We hadn’t really been able to take a good look inside,” Katie Warner said. “We weren’t sure what we were going to walk into.”

Nearly nothing is left of Warner’s home. She said the inside was black and that even her ceiling fell on the kitchen floor.

Several other families are in the same boat, and Warner described the situation as a waiting game.

“It’s very sad what I see … It’s like a disaster,” said homeowner Felicia Decarolis.

But Warner and others who were forced out of their homes only get a small window of time to collect their items.

Thankfully Warner has insurance, which is why her agent was there to assess the damage.

While she doesn’t know what this is going to cost her family, she does know the two rows of townhomes are set to be demolished.

With all of the uncertainty, there is some solace for her: the fire left her photo albums almost untouched. And she has her family with her by her side.

“I honestly I thought these were gone so this is just amazing,” she said.