Florida apartment security officer saves lives in huge fire
FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. June 27 2018
An apartment security officer in Florida is being credited with saving lives during a major apartment complex fire.
Officials said the fire started around 3:30 a.m. Sunday on the third level of the apartment complex.
NewsChannel 7 spoke to one man who saw the whole thing and said if it wasn’t for the complex’s security officer, he fears the damage could have been a lot worse.
“I was up here in my office and I overheard someone screaming ‘help, help, fire.’ I come out and go to the end and the end staircase over here was on fire,” Pier One Apartment’s security officer Eric Berkowitz said.
“Somehow a fire started over here early morning when everyone was asleep and thank God Eric was doing his job and saved people lives,” Clarence Ward, who lives nearby, said.
Berkowitz jumped into action and first tried to put the fire out himself but soon realized it was getting too big.
“I started evacuating people out of their places, getting people out. I actually had to go up through the staircase through the fire to get to the upstairs apartment,” Berkowitz explained.
“He went door to door getting people out of their homes until the fire department arrived and everyone else came to help and join,” Ward added.
Thanks to Berkowitz’s quick action, everyone was able to get out safely, but now they have no place to go.
“Eighteen units were damaged, that put 18 families out of a place to live,” Berkowitz explained.
“It’s just devastating because people lost their homes and everything and they just need help right now,” Ward said. “Someone needs to help them like my uncle that lives right here. He lost his home and he has to pay $50 a night to stay here and it’s hard and he has no help.”
The State Fire Marshal’s office is investigating this as a crime but as for the people displaced from the 18 units, many of them said they are being left to fend for themselves.
Okaloosa County Emergency Management and the American Red Cross initially helped the families but have since closed the shelter.
