SOUTHERN COOKING: A NEGLECTED POT OF GREASE IS THE CAUSE BEHIND A FIRE AT AN APARTMENT COMPLEX NEAR THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA THAT LEFT 25-30 PEOPLE HOMELESS
A neglected pot of grease is the cause behind a fire at an apartment complex near the University of Central Florida Saturday night that left 25 to 30 people without a home, according to a state Fire Marshal spokeswoman.
Orange County Fire Rescue crews were on scene at The Place at Alafaya apartment complex on Mackay Boulevard and Wagon Road after 11 p.m. Saturday.
“We came out and all we saw was flames,” said resident J.C. Hervins, who lives next door to where the fire started. He said he lost “literally everything.”
Pradens Pierre-Louis lives above where the fire started. “I could not see anything. I fell from the top of the stairs to the bottom.”
“The whole neighborhood was full of smoke,” Jackie Albino, a neighboring resident, said.
Fire Marshal spokeswoman Ashley Carr said Sunday that the fire was accidental, originating when a resident left a pot of grease on the stove and left the room. He came back to find the pot on fire.
The fire then spread to several other units in the 20-unit building, Carr said, but did not spread to other buildings in the larger complex. Orange County Fire Rescue said eight apartments were affected, sustaining either water or fire damage.
All residents were evacuated, but one resident injured himself on broken glass when he attempted to return to his unit to save his pets, Carr said. One dog was saved but another dog and two cats were lost.
The local Red Cross is assisting residents with a place to stay, Carr said, while apartment management is attempting to find homes for the displaced within the larger complex.