Two injured in fire at Santa Fe Suites apartment complex
City fire and emergency medical crews responded to reports of the fire at Santa Fe Suites on South St. Francis Drive just before 6 a.m. Friday, and firefighters rescued three people and two dogs trapped on the second floor of a burning structure, Assistant Chief Sten Johnson said.
Two of the people rescued — both adult men — were taken to a local hospital in serious but stable condition, Johnson said, adding the fire was extinguished shortly after the rescue.
"They were inside of a burning building for quite some time, so smoke inhalation is the chief concern," he said.
One of eight apartment buildings at the site was severely damaged by the fire, but the blaze did not spread to other structures, Johnson said. It was unclear how many residents of the complex, which offers housing to people transitioning out of homelessness, were displaced by the blaze.
Managers declined to provide information about the incident.
A few tenants could be seen carrying some belongings out of the building.
Santa Fe Suites was converted from a hotel after it was purchased with the help of federal funding in 2020, in part to provide transitional housing. It is owned by New York-based Community Solutions and managed by Apartment Management Consultants, with case management and other wraparound services coordinated by St. Elizabeth Shelters and Supportive Housing.
The cause of the fire was under investigation Friday by the Santa Fe Fire Department, Chief Brian Moya said.
The fire-damaged apartment building — which sits next to the complex's main office — was taped off with caution tape Friday afternoon. A second-story window in the front of the building appeared to be shattered, and the stucco around windows and vents was darkened with char.
Staff at the complex's office directed questions to Mike Hijar, a manager with Apartment Management Consultants. He declined to elaborate on the incident.
"We're doing everything we can to resolve and mitigate this situation for our tenants, and we don't have any other comment at this time," Hijar said. "We're working through all of the logistics of this unfortunate incident currently."
Santa Fe Suites has been cast by many as a model for providing a mix of low-income housing and units for people experiencing homelessness. It offers case management for people in need of behavioral health treatment.
A second hotel conversion project in Santa Fe — to be called La Luz — has been in the works for several years.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
24 minutes ago
- Fox News
Special Report w/ Bret Baier - Monday, July 7
All times eastern Kelsey Grammer's Historic Battles for America Kelsey Grammer's Historic Battles for America Kelsey Grammer's Historic Battles for America FOX News Radio Live Channel Coverage
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
After 3 years with a C grade, Polk County school district improves to a B
After three straight years with a C grade, Polk County Public Schools improved its grade from to a B in the 2024-25 academic year, according to a report released July 7 by the Florida Department of Education. In the 2023-24 school year, the district fell one percentage point shy of a B grade. This year, it was one percentage point above the baseline needed for a B, scoring 58% of the total possible points. 'This is an outstanding accomplishment for our schools,' Superintendent Fred Heid said in prepared statement. 'We've been making steady progress every year, thanks to the unwavering dedication of our students, teachers and staff. This is why we always tell our kids that hard work pays off.' School grades incorporate up to 12 components, with five based on achievement in English/language arts, math, science and social studies. The state also measures overall learning gains, gains of the lowest 25% of students, middle school acceleration, graduation rate and college and career acceleration, the report said. Each component counts for up to 100 points in the overall calculation. The points are added, and then the total is divided by the maximum number of possible points to determine the percentage earned. Among Polk Public Schools, 14 improved their grades from the previous year. Two improved from an A to a B: Jewett School of the Arts and Winston Academy of Engineering. Five improved from a D to a C: Crystal Lake Elementary, Stambaugh Middle School, McLaughlin Academy of Excellence and Auburndale and Kathleen high schools. In February, the district received a one-year extension from the state to bring Crystal Lake Elementary's grade up to a C and avoid closure. Prior to this year's grade, the school was rated D for four years running. When a school receives either an F score or two consecutive Ds, the district must create a plan for improvement. A school that improves to a C is not required to continue with the turnaround plan but is monitored for three years, according to the Department of Education. See how your school did: View complete scores for all Polk County schools The state report listed charter schools, as well, which aren't run by the public school district. Among those, three improved their grades this year: Cypress Junction Montessori, from a C to a B; Hartridge Academy, from a B to an A; and Navigator Academy of Leadership, from a C to a B. Nineteen Polk public schools saw their grades fall in 2024-25. Three of those fell from a C grade in 2023-24 to a D grade now: Dixieland Elementary, Eagle Lake Elementary and Kathleen Middle School. Three schools fell more than one letter grade, from an A to a C: Chain of Lakes Elementary, Oscar J. Pope Elementary and Scott Lake Elementary. Among the charter schools in the report, Edward W. Bok Academy North fell from a B to a C. For the third consecutive year, no schools run by the Polk district received an F grade, and the district continued to lower the number of schools rated D. Five schools received D grades this year, compared with seven in 2023-24 and 12 in in 2022-23. Polk County public school students improved in 24 of 36 categories on the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking tests in 2024-25, according to results released by the FDOE in late June. The tests cover nine academic subjects and levels: English language arts, algebra 1, algebra 2, civics, U.S. history, biology, mathematics, geometry and science. A higher percentage of students passed in seven of eight grade-level categories for English language arts, the state report showed. In math, Polk students showed gains in three of four categories and in three of six grade levels for algebra 1. Polk County recorded higher passing rates in all four grades for U.S. history and one of two grades for civics. One of two grade levels improved for science, while Polk County had higher passing rates in four of five grades for biology 1. 'We're very pleased with this year's results, but we're not yet satisfied. We'll use this momentum to keep improving,' Heid said. 'With that said, our community deserves to celebrate. So many people have played a role in this great achievement: students, teachers, staff, parents, guardians and volunteers. I'm incredibly grateful for their commitment, and so very proud to be part of Polk County Public Schools.' Information from previous reporting by The Ledger's Gary White was used in this report. This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk County Public Schools improves overall grade to a B
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
After Texas floods that killed campers, here's what to consider when sending your kids to camp
Death and destruction at a venerable Texas summer camp might have parents wondering about the risks of sending their kids away to any camp, even if it's in a much different setting and less vulnerable to a natural disaster. The stunning flood that killed more than two dozen campers and counselors along a river at Camp Mystic in the Texas Hill Country was the result of extraordinary rain and walls of water. Nonetheless, experts agree that information about how a camp plans for emergencies is just as important as the lunch menu and the times to go swimming. Many summer camps, of course, are based around woods and water. Kids often stay in rustic cabins with bunk beds and no electricity, all part of the charm of being away from home, maybe for the first time. The American Camp Association, which accredits camps and has thousands of members, said parents may want to ask how a camp stays in touch with local emergency service teams. Two people with longtime connections to camps also offered suggestions about what families should be thinking about. What should parents ask about camp safety? In Michigan, Jim Austin, 69, has been around summer camps for decades, as a camper, staff member and grandparent seeing his grandchildren off again to Camp Hayo-Went-Ha on Torch Lake, founded in 1904. He said parents should ask how a camp handles any emergency, even an active shooter. 'Do they have a buddy check in the swimming area? Do they have a procedure when somebody is missing? Do they have things in place for severe weather?" Austin said. 'If you're in Florida, you're looking at hurricanes. Anywhere in the Midwest, you're looking at a tornado, even thunderstorms. 'If they have to make it up,' he added, 'that's a big red flag.' Mike Deen, who operates Camp Ao-Wa-Kiya in Michigan's Oceana County, faced a crisis a year ago when part of a tree fell and destroyed a cabin with more than a dozen people, mostly girls, in the middle of the night. An adult was trapped in her bed for 90 minutes. Any injuries were minor. 'Our policies worked. Personnel were on hand very, very quickly,' Deen said. 'Parents should ask a camp: What's your relationship with local emergency services? How long does it take to get here? Parents should be able to go into camps and ask wise questions but also trust the camps are doing a good job.' Austin hopes the rare event in Texas doesn't discourage families from sending kids to a camp. 'Your kid is going to come back with more independence, with more responsibilities, with the ability to make conversations as opposed to texting with their thumbs all the time,' he said. 'They're going to make lifelong friends and develop bonds.' Camps reach out to soothe any anxiety The headlines in Texas led some camps to reach out to their camper families even if the camps were nowhere near danger. Henry DeHart, interim president of the American Camp Association, said it's a good idea, noting that "tragedies anywhere can be felt everywhere." Adirondack Camp in New York expressed sorrow about the Fourth of July tragedy at Camp Mystic and emphasized that safety at its camp along Lake George is 'our top priority.' 'Our camp is not located in a flood zone. ... We receive real-time alerts for storms, high winds, or other threats,' Rikki Galusha, vice president of camp operations, said in an email. Camp Balcones Springs in Texas is more than 100 miles (160.9 kilometers) away from Camp Mystic and located on a hill to avoid flood risk. Staff sent at least five emails to families over the weekend to say campers were safe. It would be impossible under current conditions for the closest body of water, Lake Travis, to affect the camp, staff said. The camp director's cellphone number was shared because of problems with phone lines. 'We kindly ask that you refrain from mentioning the recent tragedies or weather-related challenges to your children. Our goal is to maintain a positive, safe and uplifting environment for everyone,' the camp told families. Jim Sibthorp, a professor at the University of Utah who has studied the life-changing impact of camps on children, said parents can't foresee every catastrophe. 'Getting kids immersed in nature has many benefits, and nature is unpredictable. ... However, when the unpredictability ends in tragedy, it is difficult to swallow,' he said. ____ Associated Press writer Safiyah Riddle in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed to this story.
