Interior fire damage shown Tuesday at Regency Tower apartments in Colorado Springs

On Tuesday, managers of the Regency Tower apartments in Colorado Springs showed some interior damage caused by the recent fire that displaced more than 100 residents.

The stairwells leading to the heavily damaged 10th and 11th floors remain sealed off.

On the side of the building where the fire began nearly three weeks ago, water damage trickled all the way down to the ground floor.

Regency management recently finished an extensive renovation of the hallways, lobby and common areas. Most of that must now be torn out and replaced.

“We imported the carpet from overseas because that was the only place we could get what we wanted,” a manager said.

For the second day, displaced residents returned to gather enough belongings to last them until they can permanently come home after damage repair is finished in August.
Some residents plan to move to other apartments, and storage containers are set up for them in the building’s parking lot.

One resident said several tenants are now living in a nearby complex owned by Regency’s owner.

The building was a bustle of activity as residents gathered possessions, moving companies loaded trucks and workers continue cleaning and repairing.

“It’s organized chaos,” the manager said.

Brenda Williamson and Linda Linden are sisters who have lived together at Regency for several years, and are trying to cope with the situation.

“At first, all I could was cry,” Linden said. “Do I have the crying out of me now? I think so. I hope so. At least we didn’t lose everything like people on the upper floors did.”

“I had to take a leave of absence from work,” Williamson said. “So I don’t have anything coming in until I can get back to work. That’s making it hard.”

Meanwhile, City Council President Richard Skorman said an effort will start soon to provide more assistance to displaced residents — particularly for those needing short term or long term shelter.

“There’s a group of us — Red Cross, Silver Key and possibly, United Way — that wants to get together, a community effort to help these people,” he said. “And that’s going to happen soon. We don’t have the details yet.”

Skorman was a leader during a similar situation in November 2017, when residents of the former Emerald Towers apartments were forced to leave when the building changed ownership. The community raised $40,000 to help those residents relocate.

“We’re a little more prepared (this time),” said Mary Stegner, of Partners in Housing. “We have access to a (city) contract with about $50,000 to help folks who need to move out, need a new lease, need security deposit assistance.”
Many displaced Regency tenants have been living in hotels and motels since the fire. So far, no assistance is available to help with those costs.

“We’re still trying to determine what the needs are and how to best meet them,” said Dayton Romero, of Silver Key Senior Assistance. “We’re working with around 30 people right now. I think there will be more eventually, as people start running out of money for hotels and motels.”

Displaced Regency residents who need help should contact the Red Cross or Silver Key.

As of Tuesday evening, five residents were still staying in a Red Cross shelter at Cheyenne Mountain High School.