A fire at an Altamonte Springs motel forced the evacuation of families in a neighboring building early Wednesday morning.

  • Fire torches motel in Altamonte Springs
  • Residents of nearby building temporarily evacuated
  • Remington Inn had been empty since Hurricane Irma
  • 1 firefighter treated for heat exhaustion

Witnesses said the fire started in a building of the Remington Inn & Suites along Douglas Avenue, not far from Cranes Roost, that was empty after being damaged by Hurricane Irma.

Flames shot high into the sky overnight, about 3:30 a.m.

One resident of the neighboring building said she grabbed what she could and got out of her room.

“It was coming from the roof," Lynn Oberender said. "It just kept jumping from apartment to apartment. They would get it out in this section, and it would flare up here. This went on for hours.”

The building was condemned and was going to be remodeled. People who lived at the Remington Inn and had planned to move back after the remodel are waiting to find out whether the building is still safe to inhabit.

One firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion. The state fire marshal is investigating the cause.