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Townhouses damaged in Kissimmee fire

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Four families are out of thier homes after a townhouse fire in Kissimmee early Thursday morning, according to Osceola fire officials.

The townhouse caught fire on the 2000 block of Hassonite Street.

Residents were in and out of their houses, trying to recover any belongings they can late Thursday morning. Most of the items were damaged by fire, smoke and water.

"I'm just in shock. I don't even know what to think right now. My mind, I can’t even process all of this," said displaced fire victim Brianna Caban.

Caban is one of about a dozen people who scrambled out of their homes Thursday morning.

"I see my aunt running towards me, saying, 'Everybody just get out of the house! Get out of the house!'" said resident Brandon Vasquez.

Vazquez tried to put the blaze out before firefighters arrived.

"Grabbed the fire extinguisher, ran back up, [and] got everyone out the house. I tried to put it out once, it was too much. I ran out, and put my shirt over and I ran back in as hard as I could, you know, so it wouldn't spread. There was not much I could do," said Vasquez.

By the time firefighters arrived, the two-unit townhouse was fully engulfed, and then the fire jumped to the townhome next door.

"Fires like this can get out of hand in a hurry. You train for stuff like this, and it happens and you're ready to go," said Deputy Chief Danny McAvoy of Osceola Fire Rescue.

The residents believe the fire may have started in a closet. They told WFTV there were clothes on fire.

No one was injured.