Woman who escaped King Towers apartment fire returns to building
Drop off locations set up around town to help families in need
Ashley Whitney and her 3-month-old son, Cashmere, are one of 34 families who were forced from their King Towers apartments.
On Monday, they returned to Madisonville to retrieve what they could.
The peeled and charred paint in hallways and the melted exit sign are frightening reminders of what they went through while trapped on the fifth floor.
"I didn't know what to do. I just started crying, screaming. I was screaming out the balcony, 'Help, help, please save my son. Please save me and my 3-month-old son,'" Whitney said.
Cincinnati firefighters saved them. They were the last two to be rescued from the fire that killed firefighter Daryl Gordon.
"Daryl Gordon, you are a life saver," Whitney said.
With Gordon on their minds, families who live here returned to salvage what they can.
Members of community groups and local churches assisted with their needs.
"What's still needed? Small household items, clothing, food, especially things for baby items," said Deaconess Sara Smith with St. Paul Lutheran Church.
Owners of King Towers are helping residents relocate to temporary housing.
The community has been stepping in, but more help is needed.
"It's going to be awhile to recover from this. It's very important that the community continue to rally around and support these people. They are our neighbors," Smith said.
If you'd like to donate to help these families. Five drop off locations are set up around town:
- Madisonville Education and Assistance Center
- St. Paul Lutheran Church
- Madisonville Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation
- Madisonville Arts and Cultural Center
- Madisonville Rec Center