Apartment Fire in Ocala Displaces Residents, Investigation Ongoing

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on May 2, 2020

Members of the Ocala Fire Rescue are working to discover just what caused a disastrous fire within an apartment complex located within the city. Reports from the OFR indicated that the incident was first reported shortly before noon on Saturday, April 25th. It is not known who contacted the emergency personnel regarding the incident, but the call reported that one of the Steeples Apartments located along 2900 Southwest 41st Street was ablaze.

When the first responders reached the area, they found the apartment as described. Smoke was pouring from the back of the building, and the flames were also visible poking above the roof. The first priority of the Ocala Fire Rescue teams as well as the Marion County Fire Rescue crews who arrived with them was to discover whether or not any individuals remained within the structure. Firefighters sped through the apartments, rescuing anyone who remained, and then exited to begin battling the flames with high-powered jets of water from the hoses attached to the engines.

Although the fire was vigorous and hot, the expert work of the firefighters made it so that it was contained to only two units within the multi-unit building. While the fire was first reported at around 11:50 a.m., it was deemed fully under control only thirty minutes later, at around 12:20 p.m. The fast responses and working of the emergency response crews made it so that the flames never spread to additional units and that the majority of the residents who lived within the affected structure escaped with all their belongings intact.

For the purposes of safety, all of the residents within the building’s eight units were relocated from their homes and to other available spaces within the same apartment complex. An investigation into the fire remains ongoing, with no current statements on just what the authorities believe to be behind the blaze. It is hoped that as the authorities continue to inspect the incident, that the cause of the fire is discovered, and anyone who might be responsible is held accountable for the costly blaze.

Both of the units damaged in the fire suffered from severe damage to the belongings of the residents.

Sources:

• No injuries after Ocala apartment complex fire, officials say

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.