Multiple Families Displaced after Massive Fire in Orlando Apartment Complex

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on October 10, 2018

A massive fire in an Orlando apartment complex has resulted in sixteen different families begin forced to move from their homes. According to the Assistant Fire Chief for the Orlando Fire Department, the incident happened inside of the West Winds Apartments located in the southwestern portion of Orlando, inside of Orange County.

An investigation into the fire remains ongoing as fire investigators continue to comb through the charred remains of numerous apartments in an attempt to pinpoint a specific area where the fire began. At the time of this writing, the cause of the fire remains unknown, but its effects are well documented: every single unit located within the particular building where the fire broke out was destroyed.

The first calls relating to the blaze began to reach emergency call centers throughout Orlando at sometime around 8:40 in the morning. Callers reported seeing smoke throughout the area of the apartments, although it is not clear if the specific location of the fire was discernible or if the calls referred to a more general cloud of unexpected ash.

Regardless, the firefighters who responded to the calls were able to locate the precise location of the fire, and when they pulled up to the apartment building in question they found that the flames had already begun to rapidly consume the structure. The entire bottom floor of the building in particular was nearly totally engulfed in flames.

Despite the fact that firefighters were able to quickly put out the fire (estimates put their work at lasting around one minute before the flames were gone), the damage to the building was catastrophic. It is believed that none of the residents (or their pets) died or suffered obvious injuries as a result of the incident, although the reports did state that at least one person was trapped on the top floor of the building. To rescue this individual, the fire fighters smashed a window at the upper stories and pulled the trapped person to safety.

As stated above, the investigation into the incident remains ongoing as the investigating individuals work to uncover just what happened. At the time of this writing, no possibilities, including arson, have been ruled out.

The displaced families from the fire were, according to the building’s property manager, going to be given other units inside of the apartment complex.

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