The Brief
- Residents whose apartment building burned last Thursday in Pasco County are demanding answers as to why fire alarms didn’t go off.
- Dozens of people escaped a building at the Cobalt apartment complex after neighbors, maintenance workers and firefighters went door to door.
- Firefighters believe that no fire alarms went off, because a lightning bolt struck the attic, which was above sprinkler and detection systems.
WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. – Residents of the Cobalt apartment complex in Wesley Chapel are demanding to know why fire alarms and sprinklers weren’t activated during a blaze that started in an attic on Thursday afternoon.
Firefighters reviewed video from Ring doorbells that showed workers and neighbors going door to door, letting everyone know a fire had started. As best they can tell, no fire alarms went off, nor did sprinklers stop the blaze.
Fire alarm investigation
What we know:
Pasco firefighters believe the building was up to code, but say the systems didn’t work, because the fire was in the attic and above where it could be detected or automatically extinguished.
Numerous residents in the 90-unit building lost everything, with 200 displaced. The building is not safe for any residents to return yet.…