Two firefighters were injured after a two-alarm fire broke out at the Twelve Oaks at Windermere apartment complex early Wednesday morning, according to the Orlando Fire Department.

  • 1 firefighter incurred burns, other had neck injury
  • 61 people have been displaced due to fire
  • Apartment unit did not have sprinklers in it
  • Arson investigator looking into cause of blaze

The firefighters were taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center and both are expected to recover.

District Chief Roderick Williams, of the Orlando Fire Department, said one firefighter incurred first and second-degree burns on her face when she went into the complex and the the ceiling collapsed. She is still being treated at the hospital. 

The other firefighter was outside when the building partially collapsed and debris hit his helmet, Williams said. The firefighter was walking and talking afterward and taken to the hospital where he was treated for smoke inhalation. He was released shortly after.

The call came to the Orlando Fire Department at 2:21 a.m. for the fire that struck all three floors of the wood-framed unit, officials said. The fire was contained in 40 minutes.

"Crews initiated a great offensive attack to stop the fire. We had heavy fires from the exterior and interior of the building. Multiple firefighter units showed up on scene and our crews did a phenomenal job," Williams said.

Fourteen apartments in the unit were damaged, and 61 people have been displaced. 

"I thought I was going to die. I just ran in my underwear, grabbed my wallet and left. I lost everything. Documents, citizenship everything," said resident Jorge Da Silva.

The Red Cross is assisting with accommodations and documentation for Da Sivla and the other families involved.

The apartment building that caught fire did not have sprinklers, the fire department said. Orlando Fire Rescue said that about half the complexes in the area around Conroy road are without sprinklers. The newer apartment buildings in the complex have them.

Investigators have ruled the fire accidental but have not determined a cause.