River Reach residents displaced after apartment fire in Collier County

Tania Dery lived in River Reach Apartments for the past five years until Sunday morning.

“I was sleeping. It was about 4 a.m.,” said Dery. “I heard my smoke alarm go off, and I thought it was just a battery malfunctioning. So, I went to try and turn it off, and I heard the outside alarms, and within a couple of seconds, I heard a bang on my door.”

32 people are displaced as a result of a fire at the River Reach Apartments in Collier County.

“I have water damage in my master closet and in my master bathroom that was coming from all the hoses from the fire department,” Dery added.

Greater Naples Fire said fourteen units were affected.

“The first arriving sheriff’s deputies there, the fire alarm had not activated yet. So, they pulled the fire alarm, started notifying residents,” said Joshua Buaer, Deputy Fire Chief for the Greater Naples Fire Rescue District.

They confirmed the fire was accidental in nature but said the cause is still under investigation.

“Shortly after the arrival, the first engine crews who did a search of the structure made sure everybody was out. All parties were out of the building safely once the building was secured and the fire was secured,” said Bauer.

Terry Smith lives nearby and smelled the smoke.

“It’s very scary, very scary. And I feel sorry for the people that are displaced,” she said.

Dery told WINK News she’s at a nearby hotel but hasn’t heard from the complex about what happens next.

“We’re just waiting to hear from River Reach. They were great yesterday. The manager came and got us all hotels. They were wonderful. But right now I’m waiting to hear as to what’s going to happen in the next few days where we’re going to end up because it’s kind of hard living out of a hotel,” she added.

WINK News asked two restoration companies how long it might take for people to get their homes back. They said it depends on how bad the damage is.