ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A powerful round of storms may have sparked a two-alarm fire that forced several families from their homes at an Orange County apartment complex, and investigators believe lightning could be to blame.
Crews responded Sunday evening to the Buena Vista Apartments off Reams Road, just north of the Magic Kingdom.
Orange County Fire Rescue said at least five units in the complex were left unlivable due to significant fire and water damage.
Violet Alexander, who lives at the complex, said the storms felt unusually close.
“I’ve heard them before, but these were right on top of my head. It was very scary,” Alexander said.
She said learning that lightning may have started the fire made the situation even more alarming.
“The building that was struck by the lightning-you see all that water coming down. It’s the entire three stories. I don’t believe those people are going to be able to spend the night,” she said.
The fire comes during a dangerous stretch of storms across Central Florida. This same weekend, officials said a Seminole County Sheriff’s Office deputy was indirectly struck by lightning in Geneva, and a lifeguard was also indirectly struck in Volusia County.
“There’s a high possibility this could have been caused by a lightning strike, given the amount of storms in the area,” said Robert Izzo with Orange County Fire Rescue.
Izzo said crews first noticed smoke coming from the roof. “There wasn’t a lot of fire at the time. Crews went inside, started pulling ceilings, and extended hose lines to put out the fire,” Izzo said. Alexander said she plans to be more cautious during storms moving forward.
“Usually, when I see lightning, I just take my umbrella. But now, when I see it, I’m going back home. No thank you,” she said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. In the meantime, The Red Cross says volunteers are helping 9 families displaced by the fire.
In total, they say they’re helping 27 people with emergency financial assistance, health and mental health services, and recovery support. .