ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — It has been almost two weeks since a fire broke out at an apartment complex in Altamonte Springs that took the life of an 11-year-old boy.
About 12 apartment units were impacted by the blaze at 857 Ballard Street.
What You Need To Know
- Two weeks since a fire impacted 12 units of an apartment complex, the community is remembering an 11-year-old boy killed in the blaze
- One resident, Uriah Frisby, had to relocate due to the fire and is currently living in a hotel
- Frisby says he does not recall smoke detectors working at the time of the fire, which investigators have not commented on
Since then, the community has created a memorial to remember the life of the 11-year-old, identified as Ramon Thomas.
Uriah Frisby, who lived directly across from the unit that caught fire, says he remembers that day like it was yesterday.
“Everybody is a blessing the situation is definitely a tragic situation, my condolences to the family who lost the little boy,” he said. “All I can say is everything happens for a reason. I try not to blame anybody, still speculation about what caused the fire.”
Frisby and his 8-year-old daughter had to relocate due to the fire and are currently living in a hotel.
Catholic Charities of Central Florida has helped him with the financial aspect of his relocation.
He says he’s grateful for the overwhelming support from the community but still has questions.
“All I know is from my personal experience, when I opened the door, I didn’t hear any fire alarms or anything going off that indicated that there was a fire. Only the screams,” said Frisby. “So that’s the big question at hand, what caused the fire.”
The State Fire Marshal’s office is leading the investigation.
According to officials, smoke detectors were present during the time of the fire, but they have not detailed if the detectors were working properly.