The stale smell of smoke hung in the air a day after flames raced through the Heatherwood Valley Apartments complex, displacing about 20 residents. Piles of debris sat in front of the building, which was cordoned off by yellow police tape.

The chaos of the early morning blaze was evident when looking at the random assortment of flotsam in front of the complex at 2040 Heatherwood Drive. A little girl’s bike, a pink Schwinn. A lone gold Christmas ornament. A leather swivel chair, bored through by flames.

Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical officials still hadn’t determined an official cause of the fire by Sunday night, but Division Chief James King said the department hoped to make an announcement about the cause sometime this morning.

He said the complex, which is operated by Gage Management Inc., was safe for residents of the unaffected part of the building.

“Obviously, we allowed residents to live on the west side of the building. We wouldn’t let them return if there were any danger,” he said.

The Douglas County chapter of the American Red Cross helped three families in need of housing relocate to the Lawrence Holidome, 200 McDonald Drive, and Gage Management moved residents of seven apartments into vacant units at other properties owned by the company.

“Everybody that we met with yesterday was very grateful that they were able to get out safely,” said Jane Blocher, executive director of the Red Cross. “The mood was one of relief, but concern about what was going to happen next.”

Blocher said she met with the man in whose apartment the fire started. She said he suffered burns on his hands and one foot, but was fine after being discharged from Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

The day after the fire, residents of the western block of the building who had sought refuge with friends, or at the Holidome, had returned. But their return was unsettling, as darkness engulfed the complex.

The interior of the western block, which was untouched by flames, was pitch black, making it impossible to see without the aid of a flashlight.

One resident, who did not want her name used, said it was strange to be back in her apartment; she had spent the previous night at the Holidome. She expressed her appreciation for the fire department, and was grateful that a firewall was built between the two apartment blocks, keeping flames from encroaching on the other building.

Stella Self, whose apartment is across the hall from the origin of the fire, told 6News that her future is a mystery.

“Now I have absolutely no clue. I’ve gotten some clothes replaced. I’ve got a place to stay for a few days,” she said. But after Feb. 1, Self said she would have nowhere to go.

But that was not the first thing on her mind.

“We were definitely being looked out for,” Self said. “Thank God for the American Red Cross and the firefighters.”