ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Flames ripped through an Orange County townhome early Monday, displacing eight residents, including two children, officials said.
No one was injured in the fire, which broke out around 1 a.m. at the Fox Hunt community off Alafaya Trail near Colonial Drive.
Orange County Fire Rescue tweeted later Monday that one unit was gutted by fire and two others sustained smoke and water damage.
#UPDATE 1 a.m. #WorkingFire Fox Hound Lane/2-story townhouse with 4 units; one unit gutted, two units with smoke & water damage, one unit intact. One car destroyed. 6 adults & 2 small children displaced from 3 units, one unit was vacant. pic.twitter.com/VKqtVh85kQ
— OCFire Rescue (@OCFireRescue) March 2, 2020
Orange County Fire Chief David Jansen said some residents were awakened by a smoke alarm.
The fire, which may have started in a dryer, quickly burned four homes, Jansen said.
Melissa Pierce said her family ran out of their home when they saw smoke.
“All I heard was them yelling for me because, I guess, I couldn’t breathe, so that’s what woke me up and they were already out the house,” Pierce said.
She said it took her a while for her to get out of the home but she’s glad she’s alive.
“I’m thankful, I guess, to the man above. He’s the one that woke me up,” Pierce said.
We just spoke to a woman who managed to get out of her home just in time after a fire erupted this morning. Fire officials believe a dryer in the back sparked the flames.
— Ezzy Castro (@EzzyCastro) March 2, 2020
Another live report from the scene at 6 a.m. @news6wkmg pic.twitter.com/WRC8jhI4S8
Danielle Paul lived in one of the townhomes and said her roommates woke her up.
“We expected something small, but then when we came out it was like total flames. The car was in flames. It was just out there. It was a lot,” Paul said.
The Red Cross will assist the affected families.