Family files lawsuit after boy, 11, dies in fire at Altamonte Springs apartment complex

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — Ramon Thomas was asleep when he died during an apartment fire in April.

▶ WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS

His family held a news conference on Tuesday to talk about the pain they have endured over the last four months.

His mother said she is still mourning his loss, as she was working an overnight shift and received the traumatic call from her daughter.

Original report: Child dies after fire rips through Altamonte Springs apartment complex

The family filed a lawsuit alleging that the 11-year-old’s death could have been avoided if the unit had working smoke detectors.

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 37

Family files lawsuit after boy, 11, dies in fire at Altamonte Springs apartment complex Ramon Thomas was asleep when he died during an apartment fire in April. The family filed a lawsuit alleging that the 11-year-old’s death could been avoided if the unit had working smoke detectors. (Osborne & Francis Law Firm/Osborne & Francis Law Firm)

The fire started overnight inside a unit at the Goldelm at Charter Pointe apartments in April.

Watch: ‘Get out of your house!’: Body camera video shows officers rush to help during deadly apartment fire

Dramatic video shows first responders running toward the fire just after 1:30 a.m.

According to the lawsuit filed, the family had no warning about the fire because there were no working smoke detectors and they weren’t maintained, which is required under state law.

Watch: ‘What they’re doing is just rotten’: Homeowners claim surprise insurance cost them thousands

Ramon was killed, and his siblings suffered smoke inhalation.

The fire also damaged 12 apartments and displaced 27 people.

The Fire Marshal determined that the blaze was unintentional. While there was a smoke detector in the unit, fire investigators determined that it didn’t alert them.

“Everyone who has a smoke detector understands, too, that if, if the battery gets low, it starts beeping and you have to go in and change it,” said Greg Francis, the family’s attorney. “There was never any indication that the batteries were low or needed any type of maintenance to the actual smoke detectors leading up to this.”

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

©2024 Cox Media Group