Lee County, FL — One person has sustained minor injuries after a three-alarm fire broke out in Building #13 at the Retreat At Vista Lake Apartments at 3725 Winkler Avenue in Fort Myers.
Fort Myers Fire and Lee County EMS crews responded to the incident at 4:59 PM Saturday afternoon.
Once a second and third alarm was called by incident commanders, additional crews from San Carlos Park Fire, Bayshore Fire, North Fort Myers Fire, Fort Myers Shores Fire, Bonita Springs Fire, South Trail Fire, and Tice Fire were requested to respond.
Officers with the FMPD arrived on scene at 5:02 PM and immediately noticed heavy smoke and flames on the south side of the building.
Officers conducted evacuations of the building and successfully evacuated multiple people from the building.
The fire took over 40 minutes to successfully knock down, and fire crews confirmed the fire may have been started by a roofing crew that was using hot tar prior to the fire.
One roofer sustained minor burn injuries but was not transported to the hospital.
Fire Chief Tracy McMillon confirmed that 14 residents have been displaced and that firefighters rescued multiple pets from apartment units as fire suppression efforts progressed.
4 units sustained fire damage and another 10 sustained water damage.
The American Red Cross is on the scene assisting displaced residents with temporary housing.
The fire was officially put out at 6:56 PM Saturday evening.
Fire crews are still busy on the scene putting out hot spots and ensuring the fire does not rekindle.
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By: Kevin Burgos | UCBN
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