Fort Pierce - Tuesday July 5, 2022: A July 4th fire in Fort Pierce destroyed two units in a triplex Monday night. At least seventeen people were displaced, including eleven children. No injuries have been reported.
"Fireworks caused the fire," said SLC Fire District spokesperson Brenda Stokes in a phone conversation with WQCS News.
St. Lucie County Fire District firefighters responded to the blaze in the 2500 block of Ave N at 11:20 pm.
According to a post on the St. Lucie County Fire District Facebook page, ten people had to evacuate from one unit and seven or eight others were displaced from another.
However not all of those evacuated lived in the two units destroyed by the fire, "many were from out of town for the holiday," states the SLC Fire District Facebook post. "The cause was determined to be accidental."
A news release from the Red Cross states that a Disaster Action Team from the Palm Beach & Treasure Coast Red Cross Chapter "helped coordinate emergency aid to seventeen {17) people impacted by the blaze, including eleven {11) children. "
Eric Roby, the Executive Director of the Palm Beach and Treasure Coast Red Cross Chapter, told WQCS News that three families were effected, but he could not say how many of the 17 were visiting and how many lived in the two destroyed units.
"We made sure that there was emergency financial assistance that was available immediately," said Roby in a phone interview with WQCS. "We continue to do one-on-one support today, and we'll continue to do so as long as the families need extra help to get back on their feet."
Another July 4th Fire in Fort Pierce
St. Lucie County Fire District personnel also responded to another July 4th fire that happened about 12 hours earlier. Firefighters responded at 11:21 am Monday morning to a blaze in a motorhome located in the 1600 block of North19th in Fort Pierce.
No injuries were reported, and no other structures were damaged.
