A fire at an Altamonte Springs motel forced the evacuation of families in a neighboring building early Wednesday morning.
- Fire torches motel in Altamonte Springs
- Residents of nearby building temporarily evacuated
- Remington Inn had been empty since Hurricane Irma
- 1 firefighter treated for heat exhaustion
Witnesses said the fire started in a building of the Remington Inn & Suites along Douglas Avenue, not far from Cranes Roost, that was empty after being damaged by Hurricane Irma.
Flames shot high into the sky overnight, about 3:30 a.m.
One firefighter treated for heat exhaustion. Building was vacant and about to be remodeled. Motel residents evacuated @MyNews13 pic.twitter.com/iHjoKIFnN3
— Christina Jensen (@CJensenNews13) December 6, 2017
One resident of the neighboring building said she grabbed what she could and got out of her room.
“It was coming from the roof," Lynn Oberender said. "It just kept jumping from apartment to apartment. They would get it out in this section, and it would flare up here. This went on for hours.”
UPDATE: #SKY13 reports that Douglas Ave is back open in BOTH directions now near Central Pkwy in Altamonte Springs after structure fire closed road earlier. Still plenty of emergency vehicles on scene so use caution #Orlando #traffic
— Ryan Harper (@RyanMHarper13) December 6, 2017
The building was condemned and was going to be remodeled. People who lived at the Remington Inn and had planned to move back after the remodel are waiting to find out whether the building is still safe to inhabit.
One firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion. The state fire marshal is investigating the cause.