NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Two days after a massive fire ripped through a Donelson Apartment building, residents who lost everything are still struggling to come to terms with what happened.
Ashley Gazzola says she was blasting music in her apartment and finally heard a loud bang on her door. It was a neighbor yelling letting her know the building was on fire.
A total of 16 units were impacted at the Creekstone Apartments. Gazzola ran quickly and grabbed her backpack and slippers.
"I just moved here from Florida, I just know my coworkers. I've been staying at a neighbors house who gave me a blanket when I was walking around in my bathrobe, like it's because I met a neighbor that I had a place to stay that night," she said.
She says it's heartbreaking for her and those who lived in her building to realize everything they owned is gone.
"A lot of the sentimental things I will never get back. The tools that I lost can be replaced, but my baby blanket that my great-grandmother made me I will never have that, and that was my comfort," she said.
Gazzola says she's incredibly thankful for the generosity of strangers and hopes to be able to get back on her feet with help from the community.
"There are good people out there. Sometimes it seems like there are few and far between, but I mean as human beings we all go through struggles and that's what matters when we're there for one another," Gazzola said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The Nashville Fire Department says no injuries were reported.
If you would like to help Gazzola recover here is a link to her GoFundMe.
