The owners of the Flamingo Motel in Chatham are trying to recuperate after having part of their business go up in flames Sunday evening.
Motel owners Clara and Lang Ma were outside of the motel Monday morning, still taking in the scene of the destruction that was left behind by the fire.
Three fire stations had been called out to the motel around 5:45pm Sunday evening.
Clara says she heard her husband yelling for all of the tenants to get out of their units and that's when she saw the fire, and called the police.
"I was terrified," she says.
The cause of fire remains undetermined, according to fire officials, but it is not being considered suspicious. However, Clara claims a tenant took off the smoke alarm to smoke inside.
Damage caused by the fire at the Flamingo Motel in Chatham. January 30, 2017. (Photo by Natalia Vega)
"He was smoking and then some of his stuff caught fire," she says. "How did it catch fire? What did he do?"
She says although her and her husband follow every rule in the book, it's hard to make sure all of the tenants are following the rules -- especially at night.
"The tenants... don't respect the place they are occupying," says Clara. "They need to be educated."
At this time, the tenants have been relocated. Clara says they're working with the insurance company to have the unit restored so they can have their business up and running soon.
Damage caused by the fire, which is estimated at around $200,000, is extensive to one unit but the surrounding units have minimal smoke damage.
Clara says because the fire department arrived so quickly, they were able to save the rest of their motel.
"They did a very great job," she says. "I thought the whole place was going to burn down."
Clara adds if anything is taken away from this experience, it's that tenants need to become more educated on following the rules and knowing proper safety precautions for any space they occupy.
Firefighters will be returning to the area as part of their reassurance campaign, where they will speak with residents on the matter and offer to check smoke alarms.