ORLANDO, Fla. – Fire investigators said Monday afternoon the cause of a major fire at an apartment building across from the University of Central Florida was accidental, but the point of origin is undetermined.
[SLIDESHOW: Apartment fire photos]
It took about 60 firefighters to put out the fire at the Tivoli Apartments on McCulloch Road in Seminole County on Sunday afternoon.
Seminole County Fire Department spokeswoman Lt. Paula Thompson said one building is a total loss. A total of 24 apartments were affected, displacing about 75 people.
Many of the renters are students.
"I was taking a shower when my girlfriend called me when the alarm was buzzing," said Carlos Debedino, a student from Venezuela. "She said come to my apartment, I'm scared, I don't know what to do."
Students said they tried to grab belongings, including laptops, books, and backpacks before they had to get out but most didn't have time.
"I lost everything ... my clothes, money, computer, iPod," said Debedino. "My mom's coming tomorrow. From Venezuela."
Thompson said crews will be erecting a fence around the building to keep people away. She said renters will not be allowed to get their belongings because the building is unsafe.
"The main reason is the volume of volumes of water that went into that building yesterday," said Thompson. "We had 1000 gallons a minute from each nozzle. It's very unsafe because the drywall is drenched with water. If we were to go in and ceiling were to collapse it's hundreds of pounds on somebody."
"This actually puts me in a really awkward situation because I don't know where I'm going to stay and what I'm going to do," said student Jadon Stringfellow. "I have to pay for classes out of my own pocket so this is putting me behind because I'm going to figure out where I'm going to stay so that money will go for a new apartment, things like that."
The Red Cross is working to help residents find a place to stay. University officials will also provide assistance to students whose apartments were destroyed to put them temporary housing.
There were no injuries reported.
Some students said they saw their neighbors setting off fireworks right before the fire started.
"I was assuming it was a firework," said Stringfellow. "I had a couple people from across the way say they saw him light the firework, and he may have left the house and it caught fire because I don't think he's irresponsible to let the fire linger or not put it out, or anything of that sort."
When asked about reports that fireworks started the fire, Thompson said, "There have been multiple reports, I can't confirm that right now, it's all part of the investigation."