COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — After a single-building fire at Spring Lake Apartments on Garners Ferry Road left 50 people displaced, other tenants are now being kept from going inside their homes. But ABC Columbia’s Lee Williams spoke with residents who say their buildings have no damage from the incident — and they’re looking for better answers from management and fire officials. Columbia firefighters believe a mishap with fireworks set the strip of units ablaze on New Year’s Day — leaving 11 families without a home. And the aftermath from the fire continues. On Tuesday morning, the Columbia Fire Marshal’s office deemed buildings throughout the rest of the complex unsafe — calling for residents to evacuate immediately. Dona Edmonds has lived at Spring Lake for just over a month and says her building wasn’t even near the fire. “I’m all the way on the whole other side, you’d think I’m five blocks over. Literally. I didn’t smell smoke the next morning — nothing,” says Edmonds. Rashad Simmons and Horace Ellis have rented there for just over a year. “I was coming home from work yesterday afternoon, and I met with people from the fire department, and I asked them what was going on because they were hanging up yellow signs, and he said all the buildings have been condemned because of the fire and said the apartment managers over the years have been negligent not taking care of the problem and so everybody has to get out,” says Simmons. They believe the fire is a scapegoat for issues that must have existed before New Years Day and are looking for better explanations and more help from management and fire officials. “It is your property, ok? I need to be relocated. I need my money back. I need other fees to fill out applications, and get in somewhere and this is no joke. I don’t care how many people you have to do this with, but you are not sliding out of this responsibility. That’s part of you being the owner,” says Edmonds. “It’s not fair because I pay my rent on time, my light bill. I’ve got four kids to take care of. I have no place to put them, so some people have no place to stay, they lost all their stuff on New Year’s so just because of someone else’s mistake you gonna take everybody’s only home they got? You gonna take everything from everybody else too?” Simmons asks. ABC Columbia’s Lee Williams reached out to the management of Spring Lake Apartments, as well as the Columbia Fire Department and the Columbia Fire Marshal’s Office — all of who declined to comment any further at this time. However around 5 p.m. on Wednesday fire officials reached out to ABC Columbia and said Chief Aubrey Jenkins is planning to meet with apartment management Wednesday evening. “Who else has to be victims of this, for you to do your job?” asks Simmons. “Now here it is, my life is in turmoil and I need to be placed. I shouldn’t have to sleep on someone’s couch somewhere or a cot…I have a bed,” says Edmonds. Categories: Local News, National News Tags: Chief Aubrey Jenkins, Columbia-Richland Fire Department, Dona Edmonds, Fire, Horace Ellis, Rashad Simmons, Spring Lake Apartments