LAKE CITY, Fla. – A structure fire at the Cedar Park Apartments displaced approximately 50 residents early Wednesday morning, the Lake City Police Department said.
At 2:21 a.m., officers were dispatched to the apartments and saw apartment 206 fully engulfed in flames. Officers evacuated residents from the building.
Officials said after the tenants were evacuated, the property manager was contacted and responded to the scene. All tenants were accounted for and Red Cross is assisting the residents.
Take a look at the video of the fire shot by Dawn Wilkerson, a resident.
“It started around 2, 2:20 a.m., it was extreme,” Wilkerson said. “It was first, a lot of popping, and then a young man opened the window and went screaming out for help.”
Wikerson said her husband, Roger rushed into action to pull children and an elderly neighbor from the burning building.
“He grabbed the 4 and 6-year old out of the top second-floor window, and then the other young man jumped out on top of him, and then he had to go in and get another one. And he kept the older lady and her mother, who is disabled, he kept those two out while he got the kids out.”
About half the units are destroyed by flames and water. The rest are unlivable because of heavy smoke.
Dawn said Cedar Park is like one big family and neighbors are stepping up to help.
“So you get a chance to see the family units here, and everyone is sitting out talking now, lot of donations coming in from the ones that didn’t have any fire happening, so we’re going to try to help make sure everybody good in that unit,” Wilkerson said.
Officers said the resident of the apartment where the fire started told them “the fire may have started after she had been cooking on the stove and left the apartment briefly.”
LCPD said there were no fire-related injuries.
“This was a very dangerous situation where quick actions by responding officers and firefighters prevented any loss of life,” Chief of Police Gerald Butler said. “We are thankful that no one was injured, and our department will continue to support our community members who have been displaced.”
For now, residents are leaning on each other while they wait for long-term housing solutions.