Lawsuit filed after massive Noblesville fire

A massive fire at a Noblesville apartment complex sparked a class action lawsuit.

The June 10 fire at Deer Chase Apartments off 146 ^th Street in Noblesville destroyed two dozens apartments and damaged more.

Now, lawyers say the fire should have been stopped before it got worse – and they say the apartment complex is to blame.

Jessica Anderson says she hopes to be part of a class action lawsuit filed against the apartment complex’ property management company.

Anderson has lived in the complex since 2009, with her three sons.

Her unit still stands, but the outside siding is melted off. There is water damage to her ceiling, and her windows are melted shut.

“We don’t know which direction we're going. We have no idea... they're not going to relocate us, they're not going to put us anywhere else, they're not going to help us,” said Anderson.

When the fire department arrived at the fire June 10, they said they found some of the water valves to the hydrants partially closed.

That meant they had to plug into hydrants a half mile away, slowing their fire fight.

“The fact there wasn’t pressure at those hydrants indicates and points all the fingers at the apartment complex, for failing in their responsibility to make sure those hydrants were pressurized,” said Eric Pavlack, with Pavlack Law Firm.

Pavlack filed the lawsuit Tuesday against Crestline Communities, LLC, the property management company that owns Deer Chase Apartments.

The hydrants are private, which means the apartment complex manages them. Pavlack says that’s why the lawsuit targets the complex.

“They were responsible to make sure they worked when they were needed. You don’t need fire hydrants very often, but when you do they need to work. And they needed to work at that moment. When the fire department hooked up to the hydrants, one of them described it as trying to fight a fire with a garden hose,” explained Pavlack.

Pavlack estimates 80-100 residents were affected by the fire. He's hoping to get damages for everyone, including Anderson.

24-Hour News 8 attempted to contact both the apartment complex and its lawyer for a comment Wednesday. They did not respond.

As for the fire investigation, Rick Russell with Noblesville Fire Department said Wednesday they didn’t find any accidental causes for the fire in their investigation.

After the fire, they were looking to question a blond boy, around age 10, about the fire.

Wednesday, Russell said investigators were following up on leads and interviewing witnesses.