JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Several families are without a home after a fire tore through a Jacksonville apartment complex Saturday afternoon.
The fire broke out just after 1 p.m. at the Laurel Pointe Apartments on Coronet Lane. Residents say it spread quickly, giving them only moments to react.
One of those residents, Helen Palomin, was just stepping out with her children when she noticed the danger.
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“It was crazy. I was going out with my kids to go to Walmart when I saw the fire rescue. It was scary. I promise you,” Palomin told Action News Jax.
Video shared by a resident shows people checking on one another and watching the flames from nearby buildings. Palomin said her unit was dangerously close to the fire.
“It was close to my house—real close,” she said.
Crews from the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department arrived on the scene and worked quickly to get the flames under control. At one point, firefighters had to cut a hole in a staircase to fully extinguish the blaze.
“I was praying for everything to be OK,” Palomin said.
Despite the frightening scene, no injuries were reported. But the fire displaced at least four adults and two children. The American Red Cross is now assisting those families as they recover from the loss.
Video shows residents returning to the building later in the day, retrieving what belongings they could.
“I’m so sad that they don’t have a place now. I think the office is working on it. And we are together. We’re Jacksonville,” Palomin added.
The cause of the fire remains unknown. According to JFRD, the incident is still under investigation.
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