WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — Nearly 200 people displaced by a fire at the Cobalt Apartments in Wesley Chapel are now facing the painful reality of starting over — and many are angry they cannot retrieve their belongings.
About 90 units were evacuated after a fire broke out Thursday. On Friday, Pasco fire officials announced the building had been condemned.
Sebastian Hernandez, who can't access his apartment because of the fire, said the situation has left him devastated.
"Right now — beyond angry. Words can't describe how furious and just pain, the pain I'm feeling," Hernandez said. "And that's heartbreaking when we know some stuff is definitely still salvageable and you can't even see what's left over from your apartment."
WATCH: Cobalt Apartments fire leaves nearly 200 displaced, residents angry over no-reentry policy
Kaydan Pelayo, who had just moved in with his sister and dad about a week before the fire, said residents believe they should be allowed inside.
"It's frustrating because we know based on drones and camera footage that there is a structure that we can go on," Pelayo said.
Homes filled with memories are now filled with ash, smoke, and water. Hernandez said irreplaceable items remain inside — including his fiancée's late father's ashes.
"We just got recently engaged — all the new engaged stuff, all that stuff is in there. All of our childhood memories, all my graduation, all of our stuff that we brought with us to this new home that we thought it was gonna be our future is all in there. My fiance's late father just passed, and all his ashes, all his memories that she has of him, his thumb prints are all in there still," Hernandez said.
Pelayo said he also cannot replace his grandfather's belongings that remain inside the building.
"In 2025, my grandfather passed away. We have his ashes, the clothes he passed away in, his blanket I sleep with every night. ... So that meant a lot to us. We're very close to them," Pelayo said.
A lightning strike caused Thursday's fire, which destroyed an entire apartment building. Hernandez shared video showing fire crews knocking on his window as the building burned.
"You literally see the home that you've had for 1 year just tear down and fall in front of your eyes," Hernandez said.
Hernandez said his anger grew after he received an email from the apartment complex stating "absolutely no reentry."
"We have nothing. You know, we have nothing to our name," Hernandez said. "We pass this every day. We can only think about one thing — it's what's inside of our home."
Hernandez is now staying in a hotel while waiting to move into a vacant apartment on the Cobalt property. And Pelayo's family was approved for a townhome off the property.
"There's a lot of stuff I wish I could grab," Pelayo said.
The American Red Cross has been on the property helping those impacted. Mike Brown is the executive director of the Tampa Bay Chapter of the American Red Cross, and he said they respond to about 500 single family fires in Tampa, but this is a large scale effort.
"The needs go everything from food and shelter to long-term housing. So we're working again with our community partners. We're working with the United Way of Pasco County, we're working with the emergency management of Pasco County -- and we're trying to get with a lot of different partners to help people find a place to stay," Brown said.
Many in the community have stepped up to help, but the apartment complex says it is no longer collecting donations. Volunteers say residents can collect donated items until Wednesday, as the donated goods will be relocated on Thursday.
You can find Hernandez's GoFundMe, here. And, Pelayo's GoFundMe, here.
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