Florida Woman Hurt Jumping to Escape Fire

April 11, 2008
A woman had to be rushed to an area hospital after she jumped from a second-story unit to escape the flames.

ORANGE PARK, Fla. --

One woman was hurt and 15 families were displaced Thursday evening when part of an Orange Park apartment complex was destroyed by flames.

The fire happened at the Kings Tree Apartments on Kingsley Avenue just east of Blanding Boulevard, where several units were destroyed.

Firefighters told Channel 4 that a woman had to be rushed to an area hospital after she jumped from a second-story unit to escape the flames.

They said the fire started in that woman's apartment while she was cooking on the stovetop and decided to leave the kitchen for a short time. When she returned to kitchen, she found flames everywhere, authorities said.

That took place in building seven. Many of that building's apartments were ruined. Several units in building six were also damaged.

"You can see from the pictures that the second-floor apartment of the fire's origin the roof was completely burned off of that, and several other apartments sustained water damage and fire damage," said Clay County Fire Rescue Chief Richard Knoff.

"I was kind of nervous. I didn't know how far the fire was going to go. It seems like they're doing a pretty good of getting it under control. I just feel sorry for the people who have to find another place to stay for the night. Hopefully, everything works out for them," said resident Michelle Cannon.

The Red Cross was at the scene of the fire to help the 15 families that were affected.

The state fire marshal was expected to remain at the scene for several hours after the fire to find the origin and confirm that cooking was the definite cause.

Copyright 2008 by News4Jax.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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