50 Senior Apartments Displaced By Fire In Winter Haven

WINTER HAVEN, FL -- Residents from 50 apartments in a 62-and-older high-rise have had to find temporary living arrangements after a fire in the Episcopal Catholic Apartments set off the building's sprinkler system on Monday night.

"There are 190 total units and 50 were not let back in immediately," Jamie Brown of the Winter Haven Police Department told Patch on Tuesday. The building is located at 500 Avenue L NW.

The Episcopal Catholic Apartments installed its sprinkler system in 2003, nearly 30 years after the building first opened along Lake Silver in 1974.

"I believe that estimate was about 60 that Red Cross assisted overnight so the cleanup could be conducted," Brown said. "The remaining residents did go back to their units."

Brown said the fire broke out around 7:50 p.m. and was quickly extinguished by the building's sprinkler system.

"When units arrived, the suspected fire was out, however there was water damage to units directly below the initial apartment," Brown said.

The displaced residents live in units below the apartment that caught fire. fire. The Red Cross assisted those residents with temporary housing until the water is cleaned up.

"The fire sprinkler system did exactly what is was designed to do," asserted Winter Haven Public Safety Director Charlie Bird. "Although there is some water damage to lower units, there is minimal damage overall."

Members from the Winter Haven Police Department and Winter Haven Fire Department went door to door to make sure that all residents got out of the building.

"Residents gathered what precious items they could carry for the evacuation -- many including their beloved cats and dogs," said Brown.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, fire Sprinkler systems can reduce the risk of dying in a fire by 85 percent.