Seminole County

Several homes in Sanford’s historic district destroyed in fire

SANFORD, Fla. — Several homes in Sanford’s historic district were destroyed in a fire on Tuesday morning.

The homes were located near Oak Avenue and 4th Street.

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Sanford, Seminole County and Lake Mary firefighters teamed up to battle the blaze, attacking the fire from high and low.

Witnesses said at least three structures were burned in the fire.

Photos: Several homes in Sanford’s historic district destroyed in fire

“The flames were probably about 20, 30 feet in the air,” said Rayvyn Williams, a neighbor. “The house was already crumbling. The trees were on fire. I watched the porch as it came crumbling down. I watched the entire house get leveled.”

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“This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime fires where you have three homes burning at once,” said Sanford Fire Chief Craig Radzak. “Fortunately we didn’t have any injuries.”

The flames didn’t let up. They were fueled by the wooden frames that kept the homes standing for more than a century. They were located in Sanford’s historic district.

“It was challenging,” Radzak said. “Some of these roads aren’t the widest because they are built in the historic era.”

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In the end, it took more than 50 firefighters and about an hour to get the fire under control. Still hotspots smoldered.

According to firefighters, three homes were destroyed. A fourth was scorched on its side.

The cause of the fire is not known.

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See map of scene below:

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Q Mccray

Q McCray, WFTV.com

Q McCray is an award-winning general assignment reporter.

Katlyn Brieskorn, WFTV.com

Katlyn Brieskorn is a Digital Assignment Editor at WFTV. She joined Channel 9 in July 2019.