Florida fire: 14 people, including 6 children with special needs, evacuated from homes

Firefighters work to put out a blaze at a home in St. Cloud, Florida, early Saturday.

Firefighters work to put out a blaze at a home in St. Cloud, Florida, early Saturday.

Officials are investigating after a fire gutted a Central Florida special needs home for children and another fire destroyed a home two blocks away.

Fourteen people, including six children with special needs, escaped from their homes Saturday morning in St. Cloud, firefighters said.

Around 2 a.m., firefighters said they responded to house fires.

The six children and a nurse were taken to a hospital, firefighters said.

Neighbors reported hearing explosions overnight. Firefighters said those explosions were oxygen tanks located in the back of the special needs home.

“You can’t help, you wanna help, but what can you do but let professionals do their job? Your heart goes out to situations like this but to say what was I feeling, it’s too many emotions going on to say what you’re feeling, you just want these people to be OK,” neighbor Darryl Wright told WFTV.

The cause of the fires is unknown.

The state fire marshal’s office is handling the investigation.

A GoFundMe has been created for the family with the special needs children. If you would like to donate to the family, visit here.