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Families return to devastation after massive apartment fire in Fort Pierce

Posted at 7:35 PM, Jun 15, 2017
and last updated 2017-06-15 19:36:14-04

Stepping through the ruins of the life he built, Gary Dillard is heartbroken. 
 
“I got a suitcase full of my whole life, pictures of my family, everything,” he says.  
 
Sitting downstairs in the remains of her living room, his daughter Tricia is devastated. 
 
“Everything is ruined. We have nothing.”
 
Just before 7 Wednesday night, flames ripped through their apartment building on Southland drive in Ft. Pierce. 

“I just ran outside, everybody was outside, and the whole place was smoking,” Dillard says.
 
“I grabbed the hose, I went upstairs with the hose, it was too hot.”
 
10 people will now likely be forced to find new places to live.

4 of them were sent to the hospital, including Gary and his wife. 
 
Inside their apartment, it only took a few minutes to ruin a few decades. 
 
“Me and my wife's been together for 37 years, and I don't think there's nothing left,” he says.  

“I got pictures of my kids, grandkids, all of it's gone.” 
 
The fire is still under investigation, but fire rescue does believe it started in an upstairs bedroom. 

The Red Cross is assisting the families affected.  

For more on how you can help the affected families at the complex, contact Tiffany Acciavatti at 772-332-4274 or taccoavatti29@gmail.com