Orange County Fire Rescue crews were dispatched to combat a blaze at an abandoned church off N. Hiawassee Road in Pine Hills last Saturday night. Flames and heavy smoke billowed from the structure. The firefighters, who arrived on the scene shortly before midnight, managed to extinguish the fire, which had engulfed the building's roof, as reported by FOX 35 Orlando.
This incident marks the repeated distress signaled by such abandoned structures within the community. Locals peered through the cloak of night and repeatedly observed questionable activities leading up to such infernos. "There have been a lot of issues since it closed. There's a lot of riffraff and men going in there with women. The city needs to do something about this, and something needs to change," said Omar, a neighborhood resident, as per WESH. He added that this was not the first instance of fire at the location, bringing to light the necessity for a decisive resolution.
The building, formerly a place of worship, sustained extensive damage, with its roof partially collapsed in various areas following the blaze. While no injuries were reported, the State Fire Marshal has been called in to investigate the cause of the conflagration.
