FREMONT — In the aftermath of the deadly Fremont apartment fire which killed two people and injured two others, one displaced resident is taking the property owner to court.
Haolin Zhang, a fourth-floor resident of the Waterstone Apartments, was allegedly trapped on the balcony of his home with his dog and had to be rescued by emergency responders on April 6, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Alameda County Superior Court.
The fire, which erupted in a neighboring apartmentjust before 3 a.m., killed two women — Manteca resident Charlotte Holguin, 54, and Lori Long, 62, of Fremont.
Eyewitnesses saw the two women dangle from a fourth-floor balcony, then plummet to their deaths before firefighters could get a 35-foot ground ladder to them. Zhang alleges that the apartment’s management should be held liable for injuries and other damages suffered by the dozens of residents of the 30-unit building, some of whom are unable to return.
Two other people were injured during the blaze at apartment building located at 3939 Bidwell Drive, officials said. Authorities said the obstructing in the parking lot inhibited firefighters’ ability to use an aerial ladder truck. The fire was considered under control about 3:40 a.m.
In court documents, Zhang’s attorney, Paul Starita, alleges the Waterstone Apartments building “was not kept in a reasonably safe condition. The unsafe condition was a clearly visible, hazardous, dangerous condition on the property.”
The owners of the apartments also “failed to properly implement their risk management and prevention policies and safety procedures,” in Zhang’s building, Starita wrote.
The Waterstone Apartments, owned by MV-EPT Apartments and managed by Pinnacle Property Management Services, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Starita said in an interview that he was especially concerned about his clients exposure to particulate matter, which could contain carcinogens, during the fire. He added that it’s still too early to tell the extent of the possible damages to Zhang’s health.
“When you inhale that and that goes into your lungs, it’s not like you’re eating it. There’s no place for that stuff to go. There are known carcinogens that you are inhaling,” Starita said.
Starita also said his client and other neighbors may experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder because they heard screams and fire alarms just before the two women in the neighboring apartment dropped four stories to their deaths.
“It’s a fire. People are deathly afraid of fire. The thought of being burned alive, I can’t think of a more horrible death,” Starita said. “That impacts him, and I think that’s going to impact everyone in that apartment building. Whether they realize it initially or not, they’re going to be dealing with that for a while, and maybe forever.”
Zhang requests a jury trial and is suing the apartment company for “loss of use and enjoyment, loss of impairment of earnings and earning capacity, past, present, and future,” loss of personal property caused by the fire and other damages, according to the suit.
