Fire fear sweeping Parramore

Many Parramore residents worry about the recent wave of building fires in their community.

The fire fear is the most recent threat faced by longtime residents who are being forced out of the historically black community by city government, powerful developers and affluent white people eager to live close to downtown.

Orlando Fire Department records show that between Jan. 1 and Feb. 15, 2020 – a six-week period – there were 33 structure fires in the city. Six of those structure fires were in Parramore.

536 W. Washington St.

Parramore is only 1.25 square miles of the total 113 square miles in the city, yet that urban neighborhood was the scene of nearly 20 percent of the structure fires reported in Orlando during the first 6 weeks of this year.

Building fires are relatively rare thanks to modern construction materials and practices. Parramore is a special case because many of its buildings are old and owned by absentee landlords – many of whom don’t properly maintain the properties.

Two of this year’s most spectacular Orlando fires occurred in Parramore.

One was last weekend (Feb. 15) in a 2-story home at 536 W. Washington St.

The other, on Jan. 22 was in the building formerly housing the Orlando Rescue Mission at 410 W. Central Blvd.

These 2 fire scenes are almost around the corner from each other.

The other Parramore fires, included:

·        711 Arlington St., Jan. 6

·        900 Randall St., Jan. 20

·        318 Lime Ave., Jan. 28

·        614. W. Washington St., Feb. 7

An Orlando Fire Department spokeswoman said different causes are to blame for some of the fires. No link has been found between these blazes.

Yet some Parramore residents don’t believe officials. They worry about fire and their safety. For fire safety tips from the Orlando Fire Department, click here.

Their concerns are justified. There are many published news articles and academic papers detailing how arson fires have been used  as gentrification tool to drive minorities and poor people out of struggling urban neighborhoods so they can be replaced with more affluent residents who can pay higher real estate prices.

The recent opening of Creative Village and the University of Central Florida Downtown Campus in Parramore have made the community one the region’s development hotspots.

For more on this topic and other critical urban Orlando issues, listen to the 32805 Spotlight podcast by clicking here.