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Midtown Towers fire victims return home to collect belongings

Nearly two weeks after a fire forced them from their homes, residents of a downtown Pittsburgh high-rise went back to their apartments Friday to collect their belongings.

Mary Robinson, 75, died in the blaze May 15 at Midtown Towers. Dozens of other residents were forced to evacuate their homes and have not been allowed to move back.

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On Friday, groups of residents who’d fled with the clothes on their backs were permitted inside to salvage any belongings they could.

The former tenants went to the building in groups, hauling boxes and crates into the building to gather what belongings they had left.

Ethan Whitby, who is now living in a hotel with his fiancee, had lived in his apartment for six years.

"It's a shock to suddenly be displaced like that," he said.

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A day after the fire, Whitby was able to get inside and take a look at the damage.

"The bedroom ceiling was collapsed and, as we moved through the apartment, you can see carpet was saturated, so it was like walking in mud," he said. .

He said his one hope was that his military paperwork and baseball card collection are salvageable.

"Once I get in there and see that those things are OK, I'll be OK. Even if it's not, my fiancee and I plan to rebuild and restart after this," he said.

Whitby said material items don't compare to the feeling of relief that he and his fiancee made it out safely.

"From time to time, she would stop and have a moment to herself, crying, and I start to think, 'Wow. This is pretty big,'" he said.

The tenants went to the high-rise in shifts in the morning and afternoon on Friday. Volunteers drove many people who couldn't drive themselves.

Stay with Channel 11 News and WPXI.com for continuing coverage.