ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – As a community mourns the loss of a boy killed in a fire, investigators are working to find out how this tragedy happened.
Crews in Seminole County responded to the Goldelm at Charter Pointe complex on Ballard Street around 1:20 a.m. Wednesday. They rushed to get families out as the flames spread quickly.
Thursday, the Altamonte Springs Police Department released body camera video of their response. It shows officers warning families as the fast-spreading fire engulfed the building.
Firefighters said they did not hear a smoke detector when they first got to the scene, within thee minutes after getting the call for help.
News 6 followed up with the fire marshal Thursday and we were told they “have no reason to believe that the smoke detectors were not working at this time.” They plan to speak with the victim’s family to learn more about what happened.
The City of Altamonte Springs released its inspection records and revealed that the last full fire inspection at the property was in 2019 and the complex passed. City Manager Frank Martz said any issues in the past were addressed.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
A spokesperson with Seminole County Public Schools said the boy who died was a student at Lake Orienta Elementary.
The community has placed flowers, balloons and stuffed animals in his memory outside of the building.
Already this year, the U.S. Fire Administration has tracked reports of 18 people who have died in fires at homes in Florida.
Shawn Mahoney, an engineer with the National Fire Protection Association, spoke to News 6 about the national standards and their goal to keep people safe.
“The codes and standards are kind of laid out,” Mahoney said. “The most common systems that we’re going to have is sprinkler system, and then we’re going to have a fire alarm system, and then you have, you know, your means of egress, emergency lighting, and all of that.”
Mahoney said the owner is required to have those systems inspected and maintained.
Any tragedy highlights the importance of prevention and safety.
“The number of fires has been going down. Unfortunately, the number of deaths are staying the same,” Mahoney said. “What we’re seeing is fires are getting increasingly more intense and people have less and less time to get out of a building due to the synthetic materials that burn a lot faster and hotter.”
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