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LITTLETON, Colo. -- Five days after a fire forced seniors living at a Littleton apartment complex out of their homes, residents want to know when they will be able to finally go back home.
"It's horrible. It's like the Grinch Stole Christmas, you know?" said resident Jane Sterling-Price.
More than 100 seniors were displaced and are staying with family or in a nearby hotel where the Red Cross put them up through the weekend.
The deadly fire happened early Saturday morning in the East Tower of The Windermere Apartments off W. Littleton Blvd. and S. Datura St.
"Went to the door and opened it and realized I had a smoke wall," explained Sterling-Price.
She got out safe, but doesn't know if her cat Sassy made it.
"She's a Blue Point Siamese and I suspect she's dead," said Sterling-Price. "Why do we have to wait another week to be told anything?"
Five days and counting, Sterling and nearly a hundred other displaced seniors still don't know when or if they can back home.
A public relations firm hired by the management company told Contact7 they are waiting for air quality test results to come back and until they do, their hands are tied.
"We are literally at the mercy of these tests to make sure it's safe. Once we have those tests back, then the building inspectors go in," said spokesman for ownership of South View Towers, Andy Boian.
City of Littleton officials said as soon as the building is tested for asbestos, their inspector can determine if it safe for residents to return.
Boain told Denver7 Wednesday afternoon that they hope to have the test results back early next week and hope to be able to provide residents more information on Tuesday. There is a meeting scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
"They got us in a very bad situation, and I'm not sure they are necessarily concerned," said Sterling-Price.
For now, she said it's a waiting game leaving dozens of seniors with an uncertain future right before the holidays.
"I think we have to be out of the hotel Friday morning or Saturday," explained Sterling-Price. "If we're sleeping in the car, we're sleeping in the car. Something will work out."
