Man houses nine children after their home goes up in flames

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) -  An Altamonte Springs home went up in flames on Tuesday. Inside were two adults and seven of nine children - the youngest, just an infant.

All nine children are now living in a three-bedroom apartment with Michael Torres, who is their mother's ex-husband and the father of three of them. He said there was no way he couldn't step up and help all nine.

“This is the least I can do,” he said, “this isn't going to help them... I mean it's helping them like that, but they need a home, know what I mean? They need a home.”

The oldest child, Michael Julian, is fifteen. The youngest, Joelle, is barely a month old. Some of the kids still had bandages from the flames. Michael Julian was in school when the fire broke out. He's now helping his dad take care of his siblings.

“Helping with the little one when he's crying, helping the little ones, especially him, because he's all bandaged up and it hurts him to walk and grab stuff, so helping as much as I can,” he said.

The children's mother and her husband were also recovering from the fire at a hotel. Michael doesn't know how long he'll have to care for the children. He's getting them registered in new schools, applying for state money to help with the new expenses. They say they badly need food, toiletries, clothes for the teenagers, and more.

They are also looking for a larger home and vehicle to transport the family. A family friend has set-up a GoFundMe account for the family.