Massive blaze destroys Winter Park home

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Fire investigators in Orange County said they are considering whether a cigarette may have started a massive house fire in Winter Park Monday.

Orange County firefighters were called to the fire near Fairbanks Avenue and Wynmore Road, not far from Interstate 4, around 6 a.m.

According to investigators, the chair where the occupant normally smokes suddenly caught fire.

Crews fought for hours to put out the fire while Jerry Murtha, the man who lived there, watched the walls crumble.

"I ran and got the garden hose thinking I would be able to put it out -- fat chance," said Murtha.

Getting water to the home was also a challenge for firefighters. Crews were able to get their trucks to the home, but with no hydrant to hook up to, they had to run hoses all the way down the street.

"We had to catch two separate hydrants and lay over 1,200 feet each to get to where we needed it," said Orange County Fire Battalion Chief David Provau.

Provau said newer neighborhoods typically have a hydrant within 500 feet of each home, but he said this neighborhood is old and falls under old codes.

Eyewitness News asked why tankers weren't called in to help fight the fire. Firefighters told Eyewitnesses News those trucks are reserved for areas without hydrants.

No one was hurt in the fire.

Despite the large flames, no other homes were in danger, and no other people had to be evacuated.

WFTV