MIDVALE, Utah — It’s been a scary 72 hours for people like Salina Ochoa. The roof at the North Union Apartments collapsed onto her fourth-floor bedroom during last week's fire in Midvale.
Left behind were special items, things Ochoa can never replace.
"A cute little setup with our grandparents who passed and stuff, a little shelf to kind of display that," she shared Monday.
Since the fire, people like Ochoa have been left in limbo, wondering whether anything survived.
“We’re all just really confused," she said. "I can’t speak for everyone else, but just from what we’ve heard, everyone’s confused on what’s actually protected of what was in the apartments.”
Displaced residents left numb with few options after Midvale apartment complex fire:
Ochoa and her roommate, Rachel, have renters’ insurance to help replace what they can, but not every resident was covered the same way.
"When we were at a community meeting, I think only three of us raised our hands who had renters insurance, and I know that wasn't everyone, all the residents, but I feel extremely lucky," said Ochoa's roommate, Rachel Young.
According to the Utah Insurance Department, renters coverage is crucial to helping people start over.
"You are responsible, as the tenant, for anything inside the walls, any of your personal belongings. The apartment complex is responsible for the building and anything attached to the building," explained Tracy Klausmeier with the Utah Insurance Department.
The most important part of the rental policy is the total amount of coverage.
"You can walk around and videotape all of your possessions, and you can also ask an agent to help you quantify what everything is going to cost if it was a total loss," Klausmeier added.
Meanwhile, Salina and Rachel are waiting for any information they can get.
"I don't know if we're in denial, but like our deck stuff is intact, the blinds are not completely gone, and the windows are not blown out," said Salina. "So, I would hope if anything did make it, we'd have the opportunity to get it back."
