Posted: 6:37 am EDT October 26,
2009Updated: 6:26 pm EDT October 26,
2009
OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. -- Home video obtained by Eyewitness News shows flames (watch it) burning a Kissimmee condo complex Sunday night. The fire was so intense that it injured two firefighters and destroyed the homes of 14 families.The fire at the Villa Del Sol condo complex on Hoagland Boulevard (see map), investigators say, may have started in the attic and then spread to the rest of the building.The families said they are worried about where they're going to sleep. The Red Cross committed to putting the families up in local hotels for three nights. That will be extended for most of the 30 fire victims, along with pre-paid cards for food and clothes.AT THE SCENE: Fire Leaves Several Homeless RAW VIDEO: Cell Phone Video From Fire"I lost everything. I lost everything. Me, my girlfriend, my son lost everything. We have no clothes, no food. The keys to the car are in the house," fire victim Nautica Pagan said.Flames destroyed most of the third-floor apartments and the rest of the 24-unit buildings were ruined. All of the residents got out safely, but a few had to be rescued, which is how two Kissimmee firefighters got hurt. While up on the third floor landing, the roof caved in."They’re all there for the same reason, to help others. They don't want to become part of the emergency. So that's one of the worst things that can possibly happen," Megan Shephard of the Kissimmee Fire Department said.While those firefighters recover in the hospital, neighbors are stepping up."Oh my God, the first thing I thought about was my friends," neighbor Jessica Plaza said.Plaza and others filled the condo office with hundreds of shirts, pants and socks."This is dishes. I have clothes in the back for my son and my girlfriend got clothes," Pagan said.Nautica Pagan is grateful."You just Gotta lift up your spirit. If not, I'd just sit here and cry. And I need to stay strong for my family. I have a 6-year-old. You have to do what you need to do," Pagan said.The Red Cross expects to spend at least $10,000 to help the victims.At last word, the two injured firefighters, Lieutenant John McCommon and EMT John Cable are in stable condition being treated for burns.While investigators believe they know where the fire started, they're still trying to figure out how it started. They have, however, ruled out arson.
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Firefighters Injured, 30 Homeless After Fire
Posted: 6:37 am EDT October 26, 2009Updated: 6:26 pm EDT October 26, 2009
AT THE SCENE: Fire Leaves Several Homeless
RAW VIDEO: Cell Phone Video From Fire
"I lost everything. I lost everything. Me, my girlfriend, my son lost everything. We have no clothes, no food. The keys to the car are in the house," fire victim Nautica Pagan said.Flames destroyed most of the third-floor apartments and the rest of the 24-unit buildings were ruined. All of the residents got out safely, but a few had to be rescued, which is how two Kissimmee firefighters got hurt. While up on the third floor landing, the roof caved in."They’re all there for the same reason, to help others. They don't want to become part of the emergency. So that's one of the worst things that can possibly happen," Megan Shephard of the Kissimmee Fire Department said.While those firefighters recover in the hospital, neighbors are stepping up."Oh my God, the first thing I thought about was my friends," neighbor Jessica Plaza said.Plaza and others filled the condo office with hundreds of shirts, pants and socks."This is dishes. I have clothes in the back for my son and my girlfriend got clothes," Pagan said.Nautica Pagan is grateful."You just Gotta lift up your spirit. If not, I'd just sit here and cry. And I need to stay strong for my family. I have a 6-year-old. You have to do what you need to do," Pagan said.The Red Cross expects to spend at least $10,000 to help the victims.At last word, the two injured firefighters, Lieutenant John McCommon and EMT John Cable are in stable condition being treated for burns.While investigators believe they know where the fire started, they're still trying to figure out how it started. They have, however, ruled out arson.
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