Dozens of Cloverleaf apartment residents faced with uncertainty a day after devastating fire | FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A day after a devastating fire at the Cloverleaf Apartments destroyed their homes, some renters say they don`t know where they will live.

"That`s something that will be with me forever," said Aaron Melbert.

Melbert didn't get much sleep overnight. The images of young children falling three stories to the ground keeps replaying in his mind. He was outside the Cloverleaf Apartments as the building burned. He caught two young kids dropped from a third floor balcony by a mother who was desperate to save them.

"I congratulate that mother," Melbert said. "That mother knew her children were in danger, that was the only way. I couldn`t even make it up to the second floor without choking out so I knew for a fact the third floor couldn`t even open their door."

Twenty-four people spent the night at an emergency shelter set up by the Red Cross at the Hillcrest Community Center. Like many at the shelter, Chelsea Mayberry and her six kids aren't sure where she will live.

"This is different for us," Mayberry said. "It`s very stressful on me and them. They had to miss school today and possibly tomorrow. Due to us not having any clothes or nowhere to stay. We can`t go back into our apartment. It`s not a good feeling right now."

Red Cross counselors are working with those displaced to provide food and help get them back on their feet.

"A big goal for us is to help plan the recovery and give them a little bit of a respite after a disaster like a fire," said George Voitik, a Red Cross disaster program specialist. "So they can plan their next steps."

Multiple Cloverleaf residents continue to claim that the fire could have been stopped quickly if fire extinguishers in the building had operated properly.

"I saw the lady and she came running up to me," said Henry Eason, a resident. "She had the fire extinguisher in her hand. She's like, 'It`s not working it`s not working.' I could see the smoke billowing out of her room."

The Red Cross says it plans to keep the shelter open for as long as necessary.

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