As a fire raged through the house at 419 W. Doty St. early Monday morning, Adam Eichstedt just wanted to get out.
Eichstedt said he knew what caused the fire, but could only escape and helplessly watch as the house' his house'burned.
'A candle left on over night ignited the fire,' Eichstedt said, 'and my roommate's girlfriend smelled or saw it, [and then she] got everyone up and out.'
The fire quickly destroyed the three-story home, which was built in 1904. Now homeless, the residents will be staying with friends or significant others, and are looking to move into a new house by the end of the week, Eichstedt said.
Like most UW-Madison students living in off-campus residences, the five people living at 419 W. Doty St. had no renters insurance, which would have covered personal belongings destroyed in the fire.
Eichstedt, a UW-Madison senior, said he and his housemates had been on campus for several years and had never thought about renters insurance before the fire.
'It didn't cross our minds, Eichstedt said. 'We didn't feel we needed it.'
Kristin, a property representative at Madison Property Management who refused to reveal her last name, said buying renters insurance is great advice for UW-Madison students.
'We recommend that every student have renters insurance,' she said. 'In regards to people who don't, it can be very problematic, especially in the case of fire damage.'
Bruce Martin, director of operations at JSM Properties, said renters insurance is affordable for most students.
'The typical cost is generally $100 to $200, depending upon where they live and what kind of coverage they want, per person per year,' Martin said.
Martin said students rarely consider renters insurance, believing parents or landlords will cover them.
'A lot of students don't think they will ever need it, or they don't value their belongings or they think they are covered under their parents' insurance,' Martin said.
'A lot of times tenants think it's the landlords [responsibility] to recoup the cost, but that is not the case,' he added.
Steve Witmer, strategic communications consultant with American Family Insurance, said students rarely consider the benefits of renters insurance.
He also encouraged students to purchase renters insurance.
'The cost is pretty minimal, it's definitely worth talking to an agent,' Witmer said. 'Your possessions can add up to a significant amount of money, and it's worth it for the peace of mind.'
In the event that important personal belongings are destroyed or damaged by uncontrollable forces, renters insurance softens the blow'just ask the residents of 419 W. Doty St.
