When flames erupted about 25 feet from her bedroom window early Sunday morning, Analiese Aracri scrambled to find her cat, Baby Kitty, and evacuate.
As a fire raged at a pool-side pavilion at Varsity House Apartments, 1720 SW 37th St., Aracri was unsure if the flames would spread. The pavilion, home to a fireplace and chimney, was damaged, but no apartments were affected and no injuries were reported, Gainesville Fire Rescue said.
“You’re always told to, like, prepare for these situations and have a plan and know exactly what you’re going to grab, but in that moment I didn’t know what to do,” the 20-year-old UF health science sophomore said.
Within minutes, Gainesville Fire Rescue was on the scene to extinguish the flames. As of Monday afternoon, the cause of the fire is still unknown and is under investigation, said Andrew Prieto, the general manager of the apartment complex.
Residents captured images of the flames at the pavilion before the fire department came.
Prieto said he was not sure of the extent of the damage.
Will Sitton, 19, said he was awake when the fire began. With his roommate, he walked toward the pavilion and began knocking on doors to alert his neighbors.
“We saw that it had the potential to spread, so at that point we started taking it a little more seriously,” the UF political science and history sophomore said.
He said the fire hasn’t affected his daily routine, but he thinks the area will not be useable until management repairs it.
“I think they’re going to get everything situated out, and it’s not going to be that big of a deal,” Sitton said.
Aracri said she is thankful Gainesville Fire Rescue acted quickly and that the fire didn’t spread.
“In those moments you don’t really know what’s going to happen, and it’s great to have a team of people that can come in and extinguish the fire and save the day,” she said.
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Damage from the fire affected the pavilion area, located at the center of the main building by the pool.
