WINTER GARDEN, Fla. --
One person was in the hospital after a fire at a Winter Garden duplex early Thursday morning. Firefighters said people on one side, trying to keep cool, used an air conditioner that ended up sparking the flames.
The flames started around 1:00am in the J.W. Jones Road duplex. Officials said a window air conditioning unit malfunction and set the curtains and a couch on fire, which then spread to the rest of the duplex.
It didn't take long for firefighters to put it out the thick stream of smoke and flames at the Orange County duplex early Thursday morning. Firefighters said the family inside was just trying to keep cool in the summer heat.
"Occupants were just trying to keep cool. The unit apparently shorted, catching the curtains and sofa on fire," said Bat. Chief Seigler. "We treated a patient of the adjoining apartment for smoke inhalation. They had light smoke upon arrival, and upon completing the 360, they found some flames where it was beginning to escape from the window as it broke the glass."
The occupants on both sides of the duplex were able to get out in time. But, one person on the other side of the duplex was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
There was no word on how much damage the fire caused.
