64 People Displaced after Fire Destroys Orlando Apartment Complex

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on August 15, 2018

Shortly after 8:00 on the morning of Wednesday, August 8th, dispatchers at the emergency call center for Orlando began receiving numerous calls that indicated an apartment building was on fire. Several units from the Orlando Fire Department as well as the Orange County Fire and Rescue and police teams from throughout the county responded to the the call and were able to quickly reach the Royal Isle Apartments, located along Don Quixote Road, close to State Road 436.

Despite the rapid response with which the fire teams reached the apartment complex, the fire, when they arrived, was already completely out of control. According to Paul Plaugher, the Assistant Chief of the Orlando Fire Department, firefighters reported being able to see the smoke from the enormous fire from the fire station, and when the teams reached the building there were flames leaping upwards of 30 feet into the air.

While the fire teams were eventually able to suppress the blaze before it spread to nearby structures, and while it seems that no one was injured in the incident, the outcome of the fire was still devastating: 12 apartments located within the building were completely destroyed, and 64 residents were forced from their homes and into nearby shelters or the homes of friends and family.

First reports coming from the scene of the incident indicated that the fire investigators were uncertain as to just what started the blaze to begin with. Road Isle Apartment officials offered a public statement that indicated they were willing to cooperate fully with the Orlando Fire Department and that the property management company that owned the building was prepared to offer financial help in order to ensure that all displaced residents received satisfactory temporary housing.

Shortly after the initial fire, a report emerged from the Orlando Fire Department that indicated the blaze was the result of an accident, ruling out arson as a possible cause. The precise nature of this accident has yet to be determined, but the report did state that the fire began somewhere on the second floor of the complex and that it was highly possible that the initial call to the police occurred well after the fire first began.

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.