WHITEHALL, Ohio ( WCMH ) — A major fire broke out early Friday morning at the Colonial East Apartment building in Whitehall, and people living in 48 units are now displaced.
Five people were hospitalized with minor injuries after trying to escape the fire by jumping out of windows. A Whitehall Fire Battalion Chief said the fire started in the hallway on the second floor. There is no real structural damage to the building, but people are not allowed to stay in their apartments until the air quality improves.
Jo Stewart, the senior property manager for Colonial East, said she woke up to a frantic phone call.
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“It was a panicked resident calling me, had my cell phone number saying people were jumping out of the building windows and he said flames were coming out,” Stewart said.
When she got to the apartment early Friday morning, Stewart said she wanted to make sure people had a place to catch their breath.
“When I got here a lot of them were in our office building so they could use our office for the restroom, bottled water,” Stewart said. “It’s all carpet so they could get there, lay down, take a little nap.”