LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — It has been nearly a week since an old citrus packing plant went up in flames in Leesburg and investigators have still not discovered the cause.
Eyewitness News uncovered the owner of the property has repeatedly been told to fix up the place after the city labeled the building a public safety threat in October.
The plant caught fire Saturday. Luckily, firefighters were able to keep the flames away from gas tanks on the property and nearby homes.
“The deficiencies, if you will, were two or three places in the roof. We could’ve fixed it with a $100,000 worth of materials,” said William P. Floyd Jr., property owner.
In August, code enforcement found ceilings and floors in the building collapsing and water leaking on electrical panels. Eyewitness News obtained letters from the city telling Floyd to fix the structure back in October. When that didn’t happen, the city ordered the place demolished in December.
The owner told Eyewitness News he was hoping the citrus industry would rebound and the plant could reopen. He said the city was targeting him, even though he was given 60 days to make repairs.
The fire marshal told Eyewitness News the damage from the fire is so intense, the state is having a tough time determining the cause. A spokesman for the fire marshal says they haven’t found any evidence arson so far.
WFTV
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