TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Florida State University students are rallying around their own after a fire displaced over 70 residents at an off-campus apartment complex. <\/p>\n
The blaze injured eight people, including two students<\/a> who were taken to Gainesville for advanced care.<\/p>\n GoFundMe has verified at least a half dozen fundraisers for folks who had to run or jump for their lives from The Social Seminole apartment building after it was consumed by flames Wednesday night.<\/p>\n List of GoFundMe links for those impacted by fire<\/p>\n The scene of the fire was calm on Friday, with a security fence going up to keep the site safe. When Charlie McCloy heard about the fire, he realized several of his classmates from his chemistry cohort were among the victims.<\/p>\n He said two of his classmates had only been in Tallahassee for four months, so they barely have anything left.<\/p>\n The chemistry department has banded together, though, raising $9,000 online and stuffing a donation box at the school to the brim.<\/p>\n \u201dSo the two people I know they just moved here from India. So they lost all of their documentation, passports, visas, everything,\u201c he said. \u201dSo they\u2019ve been having to go to the state department and figure everything out how to be legal here.\u201d<\/p>\n As for the two victims who were taken to Gainesville, a friend and classmate of theirs said they have some extended family staying with them now, but they\u2019re desperately trying to secure a visa for their parents to come and visit from India.<\/p>\n So far, the fundraiser organized by the chemistry cohort has raised over $9,000, plus a drop box that was filled to the brim.<\/p>\n \u201dAnd then within an hour of me starting the GoFundMe was already at $2,000,” McCloy said. \u201cAnd then overnight, I think it\u2019s at $9,100 or so. Yeah, our department has been very generous.\u201d<\/p>\n And, McCloy\u2019s friends had a harrowing escape. Two of them climbed down the gutter system, ending with a nail in the foot and scrapes on the arms. But, they escaped the blaze.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I think they rode the gutter down to the second floor and then jumped from there onto the ground. But one of their roommates, I think two of their roommates, had shoulder injuries, so they didn\u2019t have that luxury of going down the (gutter),\u201d McCloy said. \u201cAnd then they showed me a video of it as well, and it was not good.\u201d<\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2025 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n