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<\/p>\nLightning strike sparks apartment fire in Orange County, crews evacuate building<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tANYTHING TALL LIKE UTILITY POLES, LADDERS, AND ESPECIALLY TREES. TONIGHT, TWO PEOPLE ARE RECOVERING AFTER AN APARTMENT FIRE IN ORANGE COUNTY. THIS HAPPENED ON BUENA PLACE NEAR REEMS ROAD, WHICH IS JUST NORTH OF THE MAGIC KINGDOM. WE KNOW ONE OF THE TWO PEOPLE WAS A FIREFIGHTER WHO EXPERIENCED HEAT EXHAUSTION, TRYING TO PUT OUT THOSE FLAMES. FLAMES WESH 2\u2019S AVERY EVERETT IS JOINING US LIVE OUTSIDE OF THE BUENA VISTA PLACE APARTMENTS TONIGHT. AND AVERY, WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT HOW THIS FIRE MAY HAVE STARTED? WELL, THE CAUSE IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION, BUT I\u2019M TOLD LIGHTNING WAS LIKELY A FACTOR. STILL, TONIGHT, EVEN HOURS AFTER THIS FIRE WAS PUT OUT, WE CAN STILL SEE SOME CREWS WITH ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE DEPARTMENT WORKING TO CHECK ON SOME HOT SPOTS, EVEN SOME SEARCHING WITH FLASHLIGHTS. I SPOKE TO ONE WOMAN WHO LIVES INSIDE THIS APARTMENT COMPLEX. SHE SAYS THE STORM THAT ROLLED THROUGH EARLIER TONIGHT WAS ONE OF THE LOUDEST SHE\u2019S EVER HEARD. IT WAS VERY SCARY. LOUD THUNDER. AND THEN THE SOUND OF SIRENS. THAT\u2019S WHAT VILDOR ALEXANDRA HEARD ON SUNDAY NIGHT. WE\u2019VE HAD MANY STORMS, BUT NEVER. I NEVER HEARD THAT ANYTHING HAD IMPACTED ON BUILDING OR ANYTHING OF THE SORT. A BUILDING IN BUENA VISTA PLACE APARTMENTS WHERE ALEXANDER LIVES, CAUGHT ON FIRE, AND ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE RESPONDED. WE WENT INTERIOR AND STARTED PULLING CEILING AND EXTENDING HOSE LINES INSIDE TO GO AHEAD AND FIGHT THE FIRE. THE FIRE SPREAD IN ONE BUILDING, BUT IT WAS EVACUATED. IN TOTAL, A BATTALION CHIEF ON THE SCENE TOLD WESH TWO NEWS THAT TWO PEOPLE WERE HURT. ONE A FIREFIGHTER WHO EXPERIENCED HEAT EXHAUSTION AND ONE A SUSPECTED TENANT TRYING TO SAVE AN ANIMAL. WE\u2019RE TOLD BOTH ARE DOING OKAY. STILL, ON SUNDAY NIGHT, THE DEPARTMENT SAYS SOME TENANTS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RETURN HOME BECAUSE OF THE DAMAGE. PARTIALLY, THE BUILDING IS STILL BEING INVESTIGATED, SO WE\u2019RE ONLY ALLOWING THEM TO OCCUPY CERTAIN PARTS OF THE BUILDING. THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL\u2019S OFFICE IS LOOKING INTO HOW THIS POSSIBLY COULD HAVE STARTED, BUT THE BATTALION CHIEF SAYS THERE\u2019S A HIGH POSSIBILITY IT WAS CAUSED BY A LIGHTNING STRIKE. THERE ARE LIGHTNING STRIKES THAT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME AROUND THE AREA. IT\u2019S JUST SOMETHING WE\u2019RE READY FOR. AS FIRE RESCUE AND THE RED CROSS WORK WITH FAMILIES AFFECTED. THIS BATTALION CHIEF IS WARNING PEOPLE ACROSS CENTRAL FLORIDA TO BE CAREFUL IN THE SUMMERTIME. IT\u2019S A LOT OF LIGHTNING AND IT COULD GET REALLY BAD. SO LIKE I SAID, FIRE CREWS ARE OUT HERE RIGHT NOW AND WE\u2019RE EXPECTING TO SEE THEM OUT AT THIS APARTMENT COMPLEX THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING. LUANA AND AVERY, WHAT IS THE POWER AND WATER SITUATION IN THE BUILDING TONIGHT? DO WE KNOW IF IT NEEDS TO BE RESTORED AND IF SO, HOW SOON CAN WE SEE THAT HAPPEN? WELL, AS FAR AS WE KNOW, YES. WHEN WE SPOKE TO THE BATTALION CHIEF DURING THAT NEWS CONFERENCE JUST A FEW HOURS AGO, HE SAID THAT WAS THE PRIORITY FOR BOTH THE APARTMENT COMPLEX ENERGY CREWS OUT HERE, AS WELL AS THE FIRE RESCUE DEPARTMENT. HE SAID THEY WERE WORKING TO GET UNITS THAT WEREN\u2019T AS BADLY DAMAGED. SOME OF THE POWER AND WATER BACK. WE DON\u2019T HAVE ANY OTHER UPDATE\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Lightning strike sparks apartment fire in Orange County, crews evacuate building<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\tUpdated: 10:23 PM EDT Jul 5, 2026\n\t\t<\/p>\n