ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – Two Seminole County fire stations are now among five in Central Florida where a wave of car burglaries was reported over the weekend.
The Seminole County Fire Department on Wednesday confirmed eight vehicle break-ins were reported early Sunday at Fire Station 12, with another four vehicle break-ins at Fire Station 14, both in Altamonte Springs.
All of the impacted vehicles belong to members of the Seminole County Fire Department and were parked in designated parking areas for the stations, according to a statement. Each vehicle had a rear-side window broken and multiple personal items stolen from it, but no specifics were given as to what was taken. The Altamonte Springs Police Department was said to be taking the lead in these cases.
“We regret that many of our firefighters who proudly serve the community were victims in this crime,” a fire department spokesperson said in a statement. “(...) We are working with our municipal partners to ensure that our responders do not continue to be victimized while acting in service to our community.”
These break-ins occurred around the same time it was reported that thieves broke into 11 vehicles at three Orange County fire stations over a two-day span, Sunday to Monday.
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Seminole County fire crews have been urged to ensure their vehicles are secured and to avoid storing valuable items inside of them, according to the department.
Anyone with any information about suspicious activity near Seminole County fire stations is asked to call the sheriff’s office’s non-emergency number at 407-665-6650.
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