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Pahokee fire destroys building near school

Posted at 5:01 AM, May 10, 2016
and last updated 2016-05-10 16:58:10-04

Flames lit up the night sky in Pahokee overnight after a big fire caused dozens of residents to lose power.

The fire occurred at an abandoned building located near South Lake Avenue and 2nd Street.

RELATED: More pictures from the scene

Firefighters said because the abandoned building was mainly built of wood, it went up in flames quickly.

Cellphone video recorded by a viewer showed the intensity of the flames. In total, seven engines, two ladder trucks and six rescue vehicles were called to the scene.

Crews were concerned the fire would spread to surrounding buildings, including a nearby ministry.

Barbara Iderosa with Church of the Harvest said she was concerned for the security of her school, Gap Christian Academy, and the food pantry she and her husband run.

Luckily, firefighters were able to contain it from spreading.

“The only thing I was thinking is, ‘What am I going to do with the pantry?’ and, ‘What am I going to do with the kids?’ We’ve got refrigeration there and we would lose all of that and it was really scary,” said Iderosa.

Florida Power and Light worked to restore electricity to about 60 customers after a transformer blew.  Power was restored to all customers just before 8 a.m.

Iderosa said there will be no class Tuesday at Gap Christian, but the school will go on a previously scheduled field trip to Miami.