Several residents were evacuated from their condominiums on Tuesday after a fire broke out, engulfing their homes in Fort Lauderdale. Fire crews from Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue responded to the blaze at 640 Tennis Club Drive. The fire started on the fourth floor, with heavy flames and smoke visible from the windows. Videos circulating on social media show firefighters battling the two-alarm fire, spraying foam on the ground and tearing off the roof as flames spread through it. Officials used ladders and hose lines to extinguish the fire, but not before the roof suffered significant damage.
Fire crews praised residents for their quick thinking in alerting one another to the fire by knocking on neighbors’ doors. According to fire officials, the flames caused damage primarily to the elevator shaft and the roof above it.
“Crews immediately went to work and began evacuating the building. At the same time, Fort Lauderdale Police and residents of the building were helping each other get everyone out,” said FLFR Fire Chief Stephen Gollan. “Crews made it to the fourth floor and launched an aggressive attack, keeping the fire contained to a storage area in that area.”
Officials believe the fire originated in a storage room near the elevator shaft. Fortunately, no residences were damaged, and residents will be allowed to return to their homes once it is deemed safe to do so.
