KEY WEST, Fla. (WSVN) — The eye of Hurricane Ian may have spared the Florida Keys, but some families were hit by something completely unexpected.
A fire broke out at an apartment complex, and one survivor spoke to 7News about his fire escape.
As the storm passed Key West last week, firefighters battled a building fire that destroyed more than a dozen apartments.
Residents were forced to flee their homes to face the wind and rain.
Witnesses said more than a dozen apartments were destroyed.
“You could see the flames over the palm trees, but you could also see the palm trees going crazy because it was in the middle of the storm,” said Barby Beck, a resident that lives nearby. “The firefighters came out in the middle of the storm and stopped it from spreading further.”
Nicholas Smith, a 911 dispatcher for the Key West Police Department, recounts waking up to a dire situation.
“Yeah, I just woke up and smelled smoke, and that was the only sign I had. I woke up around 5:30 in the morning, and the room was filled with smoke,” said Smith.
Smith said he grabbed his dogs and exited the house to get as far away from the building as possible.
All that was left from the fire was, as Smith described it, “a shell of concrete.”
“Then, over the next few hours, the entire building was engulfed in flames,” said Smith. “Unfortunately, it burned pretty much to the ground.”
His friends and loved ones raised money to make up for what he lost.
“They’ve really rallied around me, and umm, everyone’s offered tons of moral support. It’s really been great,” said Smith.
Smith is currently staying with family and has returned to work.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
To help Smith out, you can make a donation at his GoFundMe page.
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