OMAHA, Neb. --
Fire and the water used to put it out caused extensive damage to an Omaha apartment complex that was in the middle of being upgraded.
Firefighters said that 11 units at the Poppleton Place Apartments near 25th and Poppleton avenues were destroyed by the fire that broke out early Saturday.
"I rushed down here and it's just a total disaster," said owner Larry Watts. "The roof's gone. The water's all through the building."
Watts said he had recently made progress in fixing up the place.
"We just painted the whole building and put a new roof on. I spent $6,000 on a new roof," he said. "We just finally turned the corner and it's just a disaster. It's very sad."
The fire destroyed the top floor of the complex. The two lower floors were damaged by water and all of the units are unlivable, firefighters said.
Watts said he was able to find places to stay for many of his tenants. The Red Cross helped others.
He said he doesn't know why the fire broke out, but he hopes that it wasn't negligence.
"I'm hoping it wasn't somebody smoking in bed or something, that's what I'm worried about," he said.
He said that even with his building sustaining extensive damage, he does have something to be grateful about.
"If somebody would have got hurt, it would have been much worse," he said. "I prayed all the way down here that nothing happened to anybody."
Watts said he can't do much with the building until investigators find out what caused the fire and he's able to talk with his attorney, insurance company and real estate agent.
