Darby House residents say accessing belongings after fire has been a nightmare

The Darby House Senior Apartments in Henrico look a lot different these days, with a massive blue tarp draped over the roof and a temporary electronic gate limiting access to the property.

Almost a month since the fire that led to its current condition, several residents say they still haven't made their lives whole.

Terrie Scherer, who holds power of attorney for former resident Edwin Brightwell, says accessing their property has been a nightmare.

"They're really not responsive, they're not answering phone calls," Scherer said.

She says since the fire she hasn't been able to retrieve belongings for her friend.

"My 93-year-old friend was told, 'Go get your truck, we have everything already extracted and it's in a holding area.' He went and got a truck, came back and they said, 'Oh no, bad news, you're not on the list, you can't get your things.' Well, how do we get on the list? 'Go call management.' Well management is not responding," Scherer said.

Another former resident says they believe money was taken from their belongings.

"I'm angry because I got money taken. They wrote a check on me. They went into my stuff got a check and put it in the bank and got money from me," a former Darby House resident said.

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