27 June 2011 by WKMG LOCAL 6 NEWS
KISSIMMEE -- Firefighters today continue to battle a massive blaze that has destroyed a Kissimmee motel near Walt Disney World, according to a report from FLORIDA TODAY news partner WKMG Local 6.
The fire broke out before 11 p.m. Sunday in a room at the Vacation Lodge Maingate on U.S. Highway 192, collapsing the roof of the motel, which is about a mile from Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park.
The flames quickly spread, and the 430-room extended-stay motel was evacuated, Osceola County Fire Rescue said.
Local 6 News reporter Cortney Hall said she heard explosions as the fire burned throughout the morning.
Several guests were taken to hospitals in ambulances, but their conditions are not known.
"This is where we live. We have nowhere to go now. What are we supposed to do?" a motel guest said.
"I'm so confused. I don't know where to go. I'm hoping that God helps me. Right now, I'm lost," another guest said.
A shelter for motel guests was opened at Celebration High School.
At one point Monday morning, firefighters focused on saving a nearby restaurant, Black Angus, that was threatened by the flames.
Black smoke billowed into the sky Monday morning, and U.S. Highway 192 is closed between Griffen and Old Lake Wilson roads. Osceola Parkway can be used as an alternate.
The cause of the fire is not known.
GO BACK