Asbestos a new problem for families ousted by fire

Tuesday, Oct. 13, 1998 | 9:51 a.m.

Investigators spent Monday looking for a cause and evaluating damage to the structure. But they say asbestos used in the 30-year-old building could make it inhabitable.

Fire officials said the blaze at The Meadows started outside the building early Monday and burned up to the roof. One resident said flames were coming through the door and a window when he woke up.

Nobody was seriously hurt in the fire, which began shortly after 4 a.m.

Amit Ranadey, 16, whose family was one of eight evicted by the blaze, said he heard his sister yelling "fire" and originally thought it was a joke. Then he saw the flames. He also said he smelled gasoline.

"It looked like a bad nightmare," Monica Ranadey said.

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