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ATF probes apartment fire after MHA families lose everything
An Easter Sunday fire raged through Hawk Estates Building 2 in New Town, N.D. on the Fort Berthold Reservation.
by Darren Thompson
Buffalo’s Fire Correspondent
Community members and local organizations continue to assist Three Affiliated Tribes families who live in New Town, N.D. after a fire destroyed a 36-unit apartment complex. On Easter Sunday, dozens of families lost everything from items used daily to cherished memorabilia.
New Town Fire Chief John DeGroot said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or, ATF, is investigating, which is standard for all fires on Indian trust land. Meanwhile, several tenants have questioned whether the sprinkler system worked properly.
“I am devastated by the total losses of my neighbors and family members that resided in the building. I was able to get some clothing and a few other items out of the apartment before being asked by law enforcement to leave the premises due to safety.”
-Samantha Lindgren, tenant
North Segment Emergency Operations Center and the tribes’ Fort Berthold Communications Enterprise organized rummage sales at the wellness center April 5 and 6 to raise money for the evacuees. Inviting clothing contributions and asking shoppers to buy bags full for $5 each, the sponsors raised more than $16,000. They said 100 percent goes to the fire survivors.
The Three Affiliated Tribes — Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation – own the modern 36-unit apartment complex in New Town, N.D. The North Segment district of the Tribal Business Council manages the facility for the benefit of tribal members on the reservation.
MHA North Segment Council Member Dr. Monica Mayer told Buffalo’s Fire all North Segment Property Management leased tenants were safe and accounted for after the fire burned in the early hours of April 4. All but two of the apartments are leased. One person received treatment for smoke inhalation, according to MHA Director Emily Sitting Bear.
“North Segment would like to gratefully thank the immediate actions taken by local MHA and New Town Law Enforcement, first responders, ambulances, and fire departments from the surrounding communities,” Mayer said in a statement that day. Rescue crews evacuated tenants to the tribes’ nearby Northern Lights Wellness Center. The MHA North Segment now is providing hotel lodging for tenants at the 4 Bears Casino & Resort.
“I grew up in this community and have always been proud of how we come together to help each other out, which is exactly what happened,” said Lindgren. “Our families would like to thank the fire departments and emergency response teams.”
Lindgren is one of several tenants who wonder if a sprinkler system failure is to blame for the damage. “When I was evacuated out of my apartment at 6:45 a.m., the fire sprinklers in my unit had not been activated,” she said. “If it weren’t for Michael Short Bull pulling the fire alarm, people could have lost their lives.”
The National Fire Protection Association found in a 2007-2011 study that sprinklers operated in 91 percent of all reported structure fires large enough to activate them. When fire sprinklers operated correctly, they were effective 96 percent of the time.
“I pulled the alarm immediately after waking up my father. It was incredibly lucky that I woke up when I did.”
-Short Bull, an apartment tenant, who said he woke up just before 5:30 a.m. and saw fire outside the apartment complex through his sliding door.
“The fire sprinklers were activated in my apartment unit after smoke entered the unit, but I couldn’t see any activated in the main building’s hallway as I was leaving the building,” he said.
“If the fire sprinkler system was working properly, the fire would have been put out,” said another Red Hawk Estates renter who spoke on condition of anonymity. “It’s a situation that should make those in charge of maintaining the building liable and accountable.”
The Emergency Operations Center is receiving donations at 710 East Ave. N., New Town, ND 58757 or by phone at (701) 627-3456.
Darren Thompson, Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe and Tohono O’odham, is a contributing writer for Native News Online, Unicorn Riot, Powwows.com, and an independent filmmaker. He can be reached at darrenjthompson@hotmail.com