Cars broken into at same Florida fire station that was hit by burglars earlier this year
Cars broken into at Florida fire station
Firefighters in Orange County are fed up after burglars broke into their cars Monday night. Four firefighters returned from duty to find the windows to their personal cars busted out and their belongings stolen. This is the second time this year that this has happened at Station 51 on West Oak Ridge Road.
ORLANDO, Fla. - Firefighters within Orange County Fire Rescue returned from responding to calls Monday night only to find their personal vehicles were broken into, with some valuables stolen.
It all happened at Fire Station 51 Oak Ridge Road.
FOX 35 News spoke to a firefighter who was working that night when burglars hit. This firefighter did not want to share his name. He said this is the second time in a year that personal vehicles were broken into at his station.
Four cars were smashed into this time around; last year, as crews were responding to Hurricane Ian flooding-related calls, five other personal cars were broken into.
When discussing the state of the station’s overall outdoor security, he said, "I don't think it's a safe environment." He said firefighters responded to more than seven calls Monday night. "We're helping the community, yet our stuff is getting broken into," he said.
The firefighters reported the crime to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday morning. We observed there is no fence or gate on the property, we also learned that there is no surveillance camera at the property. The firefighter who didn’t want to share his identity said he just wants more security to protect his team members.
Next door to where the break-ins happened, is a children’s therapy clinic. FOX 35 discovered broken glass in that parking lot too. Dominique Edwards is a parent who takes her son to appointments at that clinic. She says she is worried about her child’s safety.
When she learned about what happened to the firefighters, she said, "I'm putting me and my son in danger." She went on to say, "It's disgusting. I don't like it, it's dangerous for me as a parent and other parents that come here for therapy.
FOX 35 spoke with a battalion chief about the incident. He said he would not be speaking about it at this time. So far, no suspect descriptions have been released.
Similar burglaries occurred in May in both Orange and Seminole counties. At the Orange County stations, investigators said a truck was stolen, and four other vehicles were broken into, some contained wallets and ammunition.