One person was found dead, and a firefighter was hospitalized after a fire at a condo building in Florence that caused the roof to collapse.It all started around 1:30 p.m. when Florence firefighters responded to a condo fire in the 200 block of Langshire Court.”They told everybody to get out of the building, and then all these older women and other people had to get out of the building fast because it was spreading,” said resident Amy Bradford.Bradford said some people didn’t have time to put on shoes or socks, saying she helped get them to her front porch and got them warm blankets.Another neighbor described the moment she was told to evacuate.”I went out to the balcony, and It was all gray, and … the chief of the fire department was coming along the sidewalk and told me to get out,” said resident Sandra Wilson.She said that were it not for her housemate’s dog Jake, she wouldn’t have realized their building was on fire.She says the dog started barking, but it wasn’t a normal bark — she says it sounded as if he was panicked.”I went to the back door, and that’s when I smelled smoke,” says Wilson. “I knew that Jake was serious, you know, the dog; he wanted me to leave.”Florence Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Born said when crews arrived, the fire that started in the back balcony of a unit on the third floor of the condo building already spread to the attic and caused the roof to partially collapse. When they got to the scene, firefighters found one person dead inside the home. Their identity is still being confirmed. Fire officials said two people lived inside the unit; the other person was not home at the time. A firefighter on the scene was taken to the hospital after the roof collapsed on him. He was rescued by fellow firefighters and taken to the hospital. The firefighter was treated for a suspected concussion and has been released. Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Born, with the Florence Fire Department, explained how the firefighter was injured.”When the roof collapsed, he was under part of the roof that collapsed, so he got hit in the head with it. He was rescued by his crewmates that were with him and got him out of the building,” said Born.The official cause of the fire remains under investigation.Chief Rodney Wren shared more details about the potential scope of the damage.”You’ve got the fire damage and the smoke damage that you can see in some units, but you have a lot of times, the units underneath on the lower floors will sustain considerable water damage,” said Chief Wren.Multiple crews from other areas responded to the fire, including Erlanger, Elsmere and Point Pleasant. Video from the scene shows the roof partially collapsed. One resident described how quickly she and her neighbors had to evacuate. “All these older women and other people that live in the building had to get out of the building super fast, because it was spreading,” one resident told WLWT. This story was curated by Hearst’s WLWT Alert Desk. Sharing brings us closer together. If this story happened near you, share this article with friends in your area using the WLWT mobile app so they can read along with you. The WLWT app is available for free in Apple’s App Store and on Google Play.See news happening? Send us your photos or videos if it’s safe to do so at www.wlwt.com/upload.
One person was found dead, and a firefighter was hospitalized after a fire at a condo building in Florence that caused the roof to collapse.
It all started around 1:30 p.m. when Florence firefighters responded to a condo fire in the 200 block of Langshire Court.
“They told everybody to get out of the building, and then all these older women and other people had to get out of the building fast because it was spreading,” said resident Amy Bradford.
Bradford said some people didn’t have time to put on shoes or socks, saying she helped get them to her front porch and got them warm blankets.
Another neighbor described the moment she was told to evacuate.
“I went out to the balcony, and It was all gray, and … the chief of the fire department was coming along the sidewalk and told me to get out,” said resident Sandra Wilson.
She said that were it not for her housemate’s dog Jake, she wouldn’t have realized their building was on fire.
She says the dog started barking, but it wasn’t a normal bark — she says it sounded as if he was panicked.
“I went to the back door, and that’s when I smelled smoke,” says Wilson. “I knew that Jake was serious, you know, the dog; he wanted me to leave.”
Florence Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Born said when crews arrived, the fire that started in the back balcony of a unit on the third floor of the condo building already spread to the attic and caused the roof to partially collapse.
When they got to the scene, firefighters found one person dead inside the home. Their identity is still being confirmed. Fire officials said two people lived inside the unit; the other person was not home at the time.
A firefighter on the scene was taken to the hospital after the roof collapsed on him. He was rescued by fellow firefighters and taken to the hospital. The firefighter was treated for a suspected concussion and has been released.
Assistant Fire Chief Ryan Born, with the Florence Fire Department, explained how the firefighter was injured.
“When the roof collapsed, he was under part of the roof that collapsed, so he got hit in the head with it. He was rescued by his crewmates that were with him and got him out of the building,” said Born.
The official cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Chief Rodney Wren shared more details about the potential scope of the damage.
“You’ve got the fire damage and the smoke damage that you can see in some units, but you have a lot of times, the units underneath on the lower floors will sustain considerable water damage,” said Chief Wren.
Multiple crews from other areas responded to the fire, including Erlanger, Elsmere and Point Pleasant.
Video from the scene shows the roof partially collapsed. One resident described how quickly she and her neighbors had to evacuate.
“All these older women and other people that live in the building had to get out of the building super fast, because it was spreading,” one resident told WLWT.
This story was curated by Hearst’s WLWT Alert Desk.
Sharing brings us closer together. If this story happened near you, share this article with friends in your area using the WLWT mobile app so they can read along with you. The WLWT app is available for free in Apple’s App Store and on Google Play.
See news happening? Send us your photos or videos if it’s safe to do so at www.wlwt.com/upload.
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