Firefighters are spending hours putting out hotspots after a massive blaze tore through a building in an apartment complex in Westchase. The building is a total loss.
Residents say the fire spread with alarming speed, leaving them little time to react.
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“We saw a whole bunch of smoke and as soon as I opened the sliding door, we could smell it” said Eloisa Arenas.
Carmen Ayala, who witnessed the fire, described seeing flames erupt from inside one unit and rapidly engulf the patio area.
“I was telling 9-1-1 the street was black from the smoke,” she said. “It was hard to see—it was so thick.”
Among those who lost everything is Leslie Traore and her family. She described the chaos of fleeing their home with her grandchildren.
“We were just in the apartment when our neighbor came running, yelling that there was a fire,” Traore recalled. “By the time I gathered the kids, the whole place was full of smoke. We just ran out. I moved my car and watched everything go up in flames.”
She says the flames consumed irreplaceable items—her husband’s and dog’s cremated ashes, her granddaughter’s cap and gown for graduation next month, and years of family photos and memories.
“What’s next? I have no clue,” Traore said. “I think I’m still in shock that I have nothing.”
Fortunately, authorities say there were no injuries. All residents made it out safely.
Arson investigators are still working to determine how and where the fire started.
Some units in the building were vacant at the time, which may have prevented further tragedy. For the families who have lost everything, the Red Cross is helping them find shelter and begin the long road to recovery.