Fire Destroys Ocklawaha Mobile Home, Kills 10-Year-Old

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on September 14, 2017

On Thursday, early in the morning, emergency dispatchers in Marion County were called in regards to a fire taking place at a mobile home located at 5630 SE 183rd Avenue Road. This address, located within the city limits of Ocklawaha, was the location of a mobile home where a family was living. When firefighters with the Marion County Fire Department arrived, they found the mobile home almost completely consumed by fire. Battling the flames with their hoses, firefighters were able to beat back the blaze enough to begin rescuing those trapped inside.

According to a report from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, after the fire started several people were able to escape. The survivors of the event, although none of them have been named, include two adults as well as three younger children. It is not clear whether or not they were outside of the building by the time the firefighters arrived or if the five of them were pulled from the fire itself.

In an extremely sad turn of events, the five who were rescued were not the only inhabitants of the mobile home. A 10-year-old child was also inside of the building at the time of the fire, and this child was not able to be rescued in time. While the initial report did not indicate if this child was able to be pulled from the building or if they remained trapped inside, it does seem clear that they were declared dead at the scene. A second child, only 1-year-old, was also in the building at the time of the fire, and suffered from enough injuries for the fire department officials to decide to transport them to a nearby hospital.

At the time of this writing, the fire is under investigation by both the fire marshal for the state of Florida as well as major crimes detectives with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. Priorities as of the time of this writing include just what happened to start the fire at just before 3:00 in the morning (an electrical failure? A lit cigarette? Arsonists?) and why the 10-year-old was unable to be rescued from the burning home in time.

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.