JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Management of the high-rise senior living facility that was severely damaged by fire in December will allow residents of two floors to move back in this week.
Since the Dec. 18 fire at the Jacksonville Townhouse Apartments on Philips Highway, Cambridge Management has paid to put up more than 200 residents of the complex in various hotels across town, and that will continue until the units are ready for occupancy. Residents' rent was also suspended while they were not able to live in their units.
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The state fire marshal's office told News4Jax that the fire started in one apartment on the eighth floor and the blaze was contained to that one unit, but there's smoke damage throughout the eighth floor and water damage throughout several floors of the building.
Cambridge Management announced Tuesday that it will schedule residents who lived on the first and fifth floors to move back in this week, and wll assist with their return. More move-ins to additional floors will be scheduled next week.
Wet vacuums were used to dry up water and environmental tests were conducted to make sure there's no mold from the water damage. Asbestos remediation was also underway to make sure the threat of asbestos is removed after trace amounts were found.
Management said that residents of the eighth floor had the greatest smoke and water damage and will take the longest to restore. People who lived on that floor may be relocated to other units. Residents of the ninth floor had the least damage and personal belongings in those units was expected to be intact.
Cambridge cautioned residents who might want to terminate their leases that they would be placed on a Housing and Urban Development Department waiting list and its screening rules would apply if they wanted to return to Jacksonville Townhouse at a later date.