Huge Fire Near Animal Kingdom & All Stars

[Ed]

A fire that caused the roof to collapse and burn through a wing of a Kissimmee hotel late Sunday is still burning this morning.

Reports show several people have been hospitalized for smoke inhalation and other issues involving the fire.

Firefighters from Osceola and Orange counties responded to a multi-alarm blaze at Vacation Lodge Maingate, 7514 W. Irlo Bronson Highway, a 430-room site. Aerial video shows nearly the entire complex is burning.

The blaze has shut down part of U.S. Highway 192 and Reedy Creek Boulevard.

The fire extended into the Black Angus Steakhouse in the hotel, said Lt. Danny McAvoy of Osceola County Fire Rescue. The hotel is near Old Lake Wilson Road and about 1 mile from Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park. Dozens of hotels geared toward tourists are in that area of Osceola County.

The fire was first reported about 10:30pm Sunday, and is still burning fiercely at this writing - 7:25am Monday. Firefighters are basically letting this fire burn itself out, and expect to be on the scene for several days.

Heavy smoke and major traffic disruptions can be expected in the area.

Still photos from local Channel 6 website. (http://www.clickorlando.com/slideshow/news/28365924/detail.html)

[Joannelet]

Omg....saying prayers for all of those involved.

[Melanie]

Wow, this is no joke. :(

[kakn7294]

I saw the report in the Orlando Sentinal last night. I didn't realize that it was so large or still burning.

[KylesMom]

How awful. I hope that only minor injuries are involved here. Can you imagine coming back to your hotel at the end of the evening, only to find your personal items are gone and you have no place to stay? :( I'm sure I stand with everyone here, hoping they can continue to contain this blaze.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Praying for no serious injuries.....

[faline]

I certainly hope that everyone is okay.

[PopPhan]

Which way is the wind blowing? Is it affecting any of the animals at Animal Kingdom?

I feel bad for the people who are out their possessions and place to stay. Hopefully, the extent of the injuries is some smoke inhalation -- which is pretty easily treated.

[CajunDisneyDad]

Wow... I hope everyone is ok.

[Ed]

The fire is still burning; it is contained, but not under control. Most recent chopper video shows the entire complex, outlined in the red box below, is completely destroyed. [EDIT - This is the WRONG building; see my post of 6/28/11, below, for the correct image.]
Wind does not seem to be a major factor at the moment; most of the smoke appears to be rising straight up.

[Bethis26fan]

wow, hope no one is majorly hurt.

[dnickels]

Saw the plume this morning while I was out biking and knew it had to be something big. At the time the wind was blowing west to east.

[JSparrow]

My family and I are staying at the Wilderness Lodge this week. When I woke up this morning and went to the gym I saw the news. We actually went to AK this morning. When we were on the bus near Blizzard Beach and AK you could clearly see all the smoke.

[princessgirls]

That is awful. Praying there are no fatalities.

Julie:mickey:

[K8screen]

Just been looking at reports about the hotel. It seems there were a lot of long stay residents, and the hotel has a history of unpaid power bills and electric being cut off. Dont know if this is anything to do with what happened, but it looks like a lot of people, probably without insurance, have lost everything, not just vacation gear. I know those of you who live closer will know more.

[Ed]

Regarding my post above, showing a Google Earth image of the area, I identified the wrong building. :doh:

The correct complex was on the other side of 192, putting it about 8/10ths of a mile from the All Star complex.

Corrected image below includes an aerial photo (lower right corner) of what the motel looks like today. :(

[BrerSchultzy]

We were actually staying at the Best Western Lakeside across from 192 when this happened. We saw it as we were leaving MK on Sunday night, and it was still burning when we left for Sea World the next morning. According to the locals, there were a lot of people living there, and not many tourists.


Vacation Lodge fire: Design helped spread fire
June 28, 2011|By Henry Pierson Curtis, Orlando Sentinel

JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINELOfficials on Tuesday said the unusual design of Vacation Lodge Maingate, which wouldn't be allowed under today's modern building codes, contributed to the spread of the massive blaze.

The $100-a-week, long-term-stay residence housed 231 people, all of whom are now homeless and looking for housing with the assistance of the American Red Cross, according to interviews Tuesday.

"You hear it happen on the news all the time, but never think it could happen to you," said former resident Vivian Vaughn, taking a look at the smoking ruins of her former home on West U.S. Highway 192. "Now, I know how it feels. It's devastating to see that everything you had is gone."

The blaze at the 430-room complex — one of the largest structure fires in Central Florida history — has prompted an investigation that will initially focus on its origin and cause and likely last more than one week.


"It's going to take time," said Osceola County deputy fire chief Danny McAvoy, who is overseeing the joint investigation with the state Bureau of Fire & Arson Investigation. "We do not want to make false statements."

The owners of the Vacation Lodge Maingate — four corporations and a family trust in California — have not responded to requests for comments. The business owes Osceola County about $24,000, an amount increasing by $900 a day, for six fire-code violations cited June 2, records show.

The fire started Sunday night in a second-story room rented by an unidentified tenant who was taken by sheriff's detectives to Celebration Hospital for treatment of undisclosed injuries. McAvoy declined to comment on other residents' claims that the fire was set intentionally.

When the fire began about 10:30 p.m., it spread with the speed of a wind-blown brush fire because nothing in the design of the wood structure stopped its jumping from room to room and row to row, officials said.

Originally built for the 1982 Knoxville World's Fair, the motel was dismantled and trucked in mobile-home-size modular units to Osceola County in 1983 to house tourists visiting Walt Disney World. The units were laid out in three two-story rows more than 200 yards long and covering 220,000 square feet, according to interviews and property-appraiser records.

Building codes in the early 1980s did not require fire walls to stop the spread of blazes in motels and apartments, and this structure didn't have any.

[squad51]

Funny how the hotel burns to the ground only a few days after some videos surface telling stories about employee abuses and power being turned off to over half of the building. Needless to say this sounds like an inside job to me.

[faline]

So sad for folks who have lost their homes and all of their possessions.