Orlando warehouse fire: FOX 35 digs for answers on deadly blaze that ignited fireworks
Orlando warehouse fire: FOX 35 digs for answers on deadly blaze that ignited fireworks
Flowers now sit outside the warehouse where a fire at a fireworks storage facility killed four people and badly hurt another. The flowers are new to the area. Also new is the ramp-up in questions over whether that fire was preventable.
ORLANDO, Fla. - Flowers now sit outside the warehouse where a fire at a fireworks storage facility killed four people and badly hurt another. The flowers are new to the area. Also new is the ramp-up in questions over whether that fire was preventable.
The fireworks stored in Magic in the Sky’s warehouse at 901 Central Florida Parkway are Class B – that’s a commercial grade for something called "Special Effects Fireworks." Big Bang Fireworks in Leesburg said they purposely stayed away from that class because it’s so dangerous.
"We do strive to be the leader in retail fireworks safety, not only for our employees but our customers as well."
That store is so shaken up by the tragedy at Magic in the Sky, it’s hosting a safety seminar over the weekend. That’s Saturday at 10 a.m. in Leesburg.
"We invite everyone to come down and attend, because the more you learn about fireworks safety, the safer you’ll be. We’ll go over safety of launching, safety of storage," said Collazo.
Meanwhile, Orange County District 3 Commissioner Mayra Uribe says her office can’t find any record that Magic in the Sky had a permit or license to store fireworks in this warehouse.
"No one knew that the warehouse had that stored," said Uribe. "How many warehouses have things that may have been catastrophic to an entire neighborhood?"
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She isn’t the only one hunting for answers to that question.
Magic in the Sky’s representative didn’t answer any of FOX 35’s several calls, emails, or texts Monday or Tuesday asking about the permit and requesting an interview. But here’s what FOX 35 was able to find: there’s one fire permit for the warehouse, and it’s for a neighboring business’ unit.
There are five zoning permits and 46 building permits on record for the warehouse’s address, but the only ones that seem to be relevant to Magic in the Sky are from after the fire broke out: a fire damage report from December 3, two days after the fire, and a field investigation on December 7th to see whether the building might be unsafe after the fire.
FOX 35 didn’t stop there. Reporter Deborah Choe went in person to the Orange County Commission and Permit Office looking for answers. She talked with District 1 County Commissioner Nicole Wilson.
"We don’t know what we don’t know. And until something comes to the attention of a governing body, they don’t know how to scrutinize or where to scrutinize," said Commissioner Wilson.
FOX 35 Reporter Marie Edinger checked in with the Permit Office later in the day. The Building Division sent both Choe and Edinger upstairs to the records office, where the Permitting Department said it’s working on FOX 35’s request for documentation on Magic in the Sky.
The local Office of the Fire Marshal told FOX 35 Tuesday that it works in conjunction with the Division of Building Safety, and explained that because the State Fire Marshal is handling this investigation, it’s asked both of those local agencies not to give information to media.