PARMA, Ohio (WJW) – Residents are concerned their home is not safe after a fire broke out on the seventh floor at the Regency Apartments.

The blaze caught many residents off guard on Saturday at 4:23 p.m.

“We almost ignored it,” resident Jessica Hennie said. “We were like, it’s probably just another false alarm. And we were about to just sit there and ignore it again.”

Many residents evacuated the building as the Parma Fire Department worked to extinguish the flames using a ladder tip technique. No injuries have been reported, but some residents are worried that it could have been much worse because the fire alarm system goes off frequently.

“Sometimes you have a lot of kids in here and they don’t have any play area in here for them, so they do things like pull the alarm,” 17-year resident Audray Johnson said.

She’s happy that everyone got out safe, but now is concerned about any potential delayed effects from the fire.

  • WJW photo
  • WJW photo
  • Photo courtesy Parma Fire
  • Photo courtesy Parma Fire Department

“The ventilation system, and also the smoke and water damage, because we’re above it,” Johnson said. “The fire was above us, and it might come down in the walls.”

The Regency’s management office was closed on Sunday and our request for comment was not made by the time this report was published, But PFD’s public information officer said only one resident ended up being displaced.

“The only people displaced from the fire right now are the actual residents in the affected apartment,” Robert Bures said. “From what we’ve been told everyone else has moved back into their units.”

One resident was packing up to move out after the fire. She declined speaking on camera but said she’s seen enough and is actively breaking her lease due to the conditions and safety concerns compared to the price of her unit.

Other residents are happy no one was injured, and hope management follows up to make sure they are safe.

“Make sure the fire alarms and fire detectors are checked, make sure in case a real fire happens everyone gets out safe, and the elevators work,” Heather Dobson said. “But other than that I think it’s a good place to live.”   

PFD said it should know more about what caused the blaze by Friday, once their investigation is complete. It is also grateful to the Brooklyn and Brooklyn Heights Fire Departments for assistance covering ambulance calls while the fire was being controlled.