Family, pets rescued after car fire destroys mobile home in Orange County

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a possible child abuse/neglect case after a fire in Bithlo sent an 8 year-old boy to the hospital with a severe hand injury. The boy’s mother was also taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

Orange County Fire Rescue said a car fire spread to a mobile home on East Orlando Road in Bithlo Halloween night, destroying the car and the home. Firefighters got the call around 10:30 p.m. and rushed to the scene.

“The 911 caller indicated that there were fireworks inside of that vehicle and that they were shooting off during that vehicle fire,” said OCFR Public Information Officer Ashley Gipson. The flames spread quickly, engulfing the home by time firefighters arrived on scene.

“I just figured they were setting off fireworks down there again,” said neighbor Leonard Hiatt. He said it is typical for his neighbors to set off fireworks but when he went outside to check it out he saw his neighbor’s car was on fire.

“I [saw] out the side of the car, one big boom went out and exploded like a big firecracker,” Hiatt said. “You could tell last night that it got into the house because you could see across the roof some small flames coming up from there.”

Neighbor Tony Porter said he and his wife tried to help when they heard screams and saw the fire. “We’re trying to get the hose attached, see if we can spray [and] help. We hear more fireworks going off,” he described.

Porter said he helped the mother and her baby get to safety at one point. One neighbor captured a person on video carrying two children away from the flames.

Officials said the boy who was injured was transported to Arnold Palmer Hospital with severe injuries.

“He sustained a severe hand injury, not something unlikely with fireworks that detonate on or close to a person,” said Orange County Fire Rescue PIO Mike Jachles.

Orange County Fire Rescue have not said how the fire started but believe it may have started in the car where there were fireworks. Jachles said, “Something ignited the fireworks. Something detonated the fireworks. How that transpired would be part of the State Bureau of Fire and Arson’s investigation.”

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office confirmed they are investigating the case as a possible child abuse/neglect case but did not provide further details.
OCFR is using this incident as a reminder about the dangers of fireworks.

“There’s no quality control with fireworks so you don’t know what you’re dealing with so it’s basically like bombs blowing off,” Jachles said. “When things go wrong with fireworks they go very wrong very fast, faster than any 911 system can respond. That’s why we say when it comes to fireworks leave it professionals. These are preventable tragedies.”

The Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigations is leading the investigation into the cause of the fire.