Fireworks ‘actively’ explode as blaze rips through warehouse, Florida officials say
Fireworks were “actively exploding” as a massive fire tore through a Florida warehouse, officials said.
Firefighters received a report of people trapped inside the burning building as fireworks went off on Thursday, Dec. 1, Battalion Chief Garrett Wienckowski told WKMG.
Dozens of firefighters were called to the blaze, which left at least four people injured, including a teenager, according to the Orange County Fire Rescue Department and news outlets.
Crews were called just after 7 p.m. to a warehouse on Central Florida Parkway, roughly 10 miles south of downtown Orlando. They reported seeing “heavy flames” and smoke rise from a portion of the facility that stores fireworks.
“This warehouse is a multi-occupancy,” Wienckowski said in video that WESH recorded at a news conference. “There is a furniture warehouse on the opposite end, which was not involved in the fire.”
A video posted to Twitter shows fireworks shooting over the building, while another clip shared with WKMG shows flames ripping across the roof.
Wienckowski said there were “loud explosions” as firefighters went inside to rescue people. At least three patients were taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center, and a fourth was taken to Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, firefighters told McClatchy News in an email.
Officials reportedly continued to monitor the blaze for possible rekindling. The Florida State Fire Marshal’s office is investigating how the fire started.
The Orange County Fire Rescue Department didn’t immediately share additional information with McClatchy News on Dec. 2.
The fire was reported days after an SUV slammed into a fireworks store in West Melbourne. The driver died in the crash, which sent fireworks exploding, according to the Miami Herald.
This story was originally published December 2, 2022 at 10:26 AM with the headline "Fireworks ‘actively’ explode as blaze rips through warehouse, Florida officials say."
