Apopka’s community suffered a setback as flames engulfed the Good Neighbor Place thrift store, a nonprofit supporting low-income families and the homeless. According to The Apopka Chief, the fire broke out yesterday morning, with no casualties as the store was empty. The fire department responded after a passerby from Landers Recycling alerted them at around 5:30 a.m., spotting the fire from the store’s roof.
The thrift store is a part of the outreach program by the Apopka Seventh-day Adventist Church and has been offering much-needed services to the community. Those services include monthly mobile support provided by SALT (Service And Love Together) Outreach, as stated by Ingrid Mergenthaler, the store’s director, in an interview obtained by The Apopka Chief. The store’s mission is in peril, as the fire’s aftermath has put its operations at a standstill.
Curtis L. Rouse, a 38-year-old homeless man, was taken into custody following the incident. Surveillance footage linked him to the scene, and he was found by police with items from the store, along with a written apology to the store owner. A report from WFTV notes Rouse’s arrest on arson and burglary charges. Rouse claimed the fire was accidental, allegedly ignited by a cigarette he thought had been extinguished…