Residents Ask Manley for Answers After Condo Fire

A fire in a Joliet condominium building displaced residents — including senior citizens — and now they're asking State Rep. Natalie Manley (D-Joliet) for answers.

Manley is president of the Woodland Terrace Condo Association, where a fire broke out in a third-floor unit on Saturday evening. The condos are located in the 3100 block of Ingalls Avenue.

Jason Foreman said his mother-in-law is one of the mostly elderly residents of the 12-unit building. He claims smoke detectors and emergency lights failed to operate during the fire, putting residents in peril.

Foreman said the equipment, including fire extinguishers, had not been inspected in more than a year. He took photos of emergency lights and other equipment with dates showing the last time they were serviced; one light shows a service date of June 2010.

"It's a safety hazard and nothing was done about it," Foreman said.

"The residents weren't evacuated until the fire department showed up and notified [them]," another Woodland Terrace resident said in a message to Patch. "Smoke detectors did not sound throughout the building. It's now Monday morning and none of the residents have heard any communication from the Association as to what is happening next or even how the fire started."

According to Foreman, by the time his mother-in-law became aware of the fire, Joliet firefighters were already inside the building, fighting the blaze.

"When she opened her door [to leave the apartment], her unit totally filled with smoke," Foreman said, adding it will likely be several months before she can move back in.

He believes the unit will need new carpets, upholstery and drywall repairs. Foreman said his mother-in-law is currently staying with him and his wife until repairs are completed.

But Woodland Terrace residents don't know how long that could take, or when it could begin, Foreman said.

"We haven't been officially told anything yet," Foreman said. As of Monday, he said his mother-in-law hasn't heard from the condo association, or Manley.

Over the weekend, Foreman said he spoke with a man who identified himself as Manley's fiance, but he said the state representative was nowhere to be seen.

"The board president can't even be bothered to come speak with residents and let them know what's being done to fix the building," an angry Foreman said.

Foreman said the unit where the fire occurred appeared to be gutted, and the third-floor hallway "is just in terrible shape."

Neither the Joliet Fire Department nor Manley responded to messages from Patch about the fire on Monday.