WINDERMERE, Fla. – An apartment building in Windermere that was condemned last week after a lightning strike sparked a fire remains unsafe, according to an Orange County spokesperson.
About 20 units in the Buena Vista Place Apartments were impacted by the strike earlier this month.
“I’m still trying to process everything,” said Lizelba Garcia, who had to leave her apartment unit after her building was condemned by Orange County.
News 6 originally spoke with Garcia last week, as she rushed to get her belongings out of her apartment.
[WATCH: Windermere apartment units condemned after lightning strike]
Although they don’t yet have access to their apartment, Garcia and her son met with News 6 Friday in the apartment’s parking lot to discuss their current situation.
“I’ve been trying to stay calm, not let my emotions get to me,” Garcia’s son, Jayden Padilla, said. “But deep down, I really feel like sometimes crying.”
Garcia said that Buena Vista management said that she may not be able to return to her apartment for 10 months.
News 6 has reached out repeatedly to management since the lightning strike, but we have not yet heard back.
After reaching out to Orange County about Buena Vista Friday, a spokesperson sent the following statement:
“The structure remains posted as unsafe with no occupancy approved at this time. The engineer, fire systems contractor, and electrical contractor have indicated that temporary emergency repairs have been made.
Representatives from Building Safety and the Office of the Fire Marshal met with the project coordinators to detail permitting and inspection requirements that must be completed before occupancy can be restored.
Building Safety is committed to assisting our customers and restoring compliance to the building and occupancy for the residents as quickly as possible."
Garcia and her family are currently staying with her sister, but the living situation has not been ideal.
“Sometimes it just feels like too much because there’s 13 people in one house,” Padilla said. “It just gets a bit overwhelming.”
Garcia said Buena Vista has told her family that they can relocate to a different unit in the complex by the end of July.