Salvage Process Begins For Urbandale Condo Owners Following Fire

URBANDALE, IA — Some of the Plumwood Terrace condominium owners displaced by a fire New Year's Day began the process of retrieving salvageable possessions this week when insured movers were allowed to go into the south end of the building and pack up residents' belongings. Approximately half of the 36 units in the building at 4837 86th St. were destroyed.

The fire, ruled accidental, began in the north half of the complex in a fireplace chimney and spread into the attic, Urbandale Fire Marshal Jon Rech told Patch. No one was injured.

Much of the south half of the building sustained water and smoke damage, Rech said, but little heat and fire damage. It's that portion of the building that tenants' movers were allowed access to on Thursday and Friday so the cleanup of their items could begin.

Susan Myer, who lived for 18 years in a unit at the far south end of the building, said her condo was one of the few that did not look to be damaged at all from the fire, but the smoke smell permeated all her belongings. She said she is staying with relatives now while looking for an apartment where she can live until the Plumwood Terrace structure is rebuilt.

Her car was among more than 20 towed out Thursday from an underground parking garage that had filled with 7 to 10 feet of water during firefighting efforts. Most are not thought to be salvageable.

Myer was back at Plumwood Terrace Friday, talking by phone to insurance adjusters as movers she hired packed and removed her possessions to be sorted off site and, if possible, cleaned and restored. Other tenants watched as their own appliances, clothing and furnishings were packed into trucks. Approximately a dozen restoration and moving company vehicles filled the parking lot.

One condo owner said he had only lived in the building six months and was just starting to feel at home when the fire hit. He said on a walk through with fire officials just days after the fire, he was allowed to take a few important possessions, but the clothing, furnishings and mementos remained behind until the move today. His unit sustained little water damage and he said he's hopeful a restoration company he hired can remove the smoke smell from most of his items.

Plumwood Terrace sustained another major fire in 2010 in a different building. That structure was rebuilt, but the process took more than a year.

Tenants moving belongings on Friday said they have been told it is too soon to know what the demolition or reconstruction process will be with their homes. A representative of the property management company contacted by Patch declined to comment and representatives of the homeowners' association could not be reached.

Condo owners continue to be responsible for monthly association fees, and likely mortgage payments, while insurance adjusters work through the claims process.

Myer, who said many of her neighbors also were longtime residents, said she plans to return to Plumwood Terrace, assuming it is rebuilt.

"A lot of my neighbors were longtime residents like me," she said. "We were a building of long-term owners."

Patch photos by Melissa Myers