FOND DU LAC (NBC 26) — A Fond du Lac apartment complex was hit with significant water damage on Wednesday night, leaving several Fond du Lac neighbors displaced and without their permanent homes.
Fond du lac Fire Department Battalion Chief Shawn Kneeland says crews arrived in the early morning hours.
"One engine company went over there to assess the damage," Kneeland said. "Thinking it might have been a broken pipe. Upon arrival they found that it was more extensive damage."
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Kneeland says the water entered the building through roof repairs, a project that was ongoing at the time.
"About a 12 by 24 inch section of the building was left open for the elements," Kneeland said. "So when the rain fell it found the path of least resistance down into the buildings."
And that water ran down into 12-year-old Alex Castellon's family's apartment.
"They told us to evacuate the building," Castellon said. "Because they were going to turn off the power. Cause it was going through the lights. So they didn't want to touch that."
While his family's apartment received a smaller amount of water damage, Alex says the fire department told him other units were not as fortunate.
"The first floor was kind of half of it. The hallway was flooded but the other half was dry because the rain wasn't coming through," Castellon said. "And they said probably the third floor was the worst."
Castellon indicated he is very thankful for his friends and aunt who have let him and his family stay with them until the apartment is repaired.
Kneeland also says that all 8 fully displaced people were able to find a safe space to stay for the time being.
