ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County firefighters reported no injuries after responding to reports of what they called a burning church late Saturday.
Units were dispatched just before midnight to N. Hiawassee Road, south of Silver Star Road, Orange County Fire Rescue said on social media.
Witnessing fire out of the roof upon their arrival, firefighters quickly got water on the flames and an extensive overhaul lasted into the next morning, according the post.
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The State Fire Marshal will investigate the cause of the fire, the post states.
News 6 reached out to Orange County Fire Rescue Monday for an update. A spokesperson told our team that the State Fire Marshal is still working to determine the cause of the fire.
Orange county property records show the site has been owned by the Northwestern Learning Center, since it was sold in 2012 by the Agape Christian Community Academy.
Ednita Williams, who is involved with the Pine Hills Community Council, says that since it’s been abandoned, it has become a huge eyesore on Hiawassee Road.
“The windows are all shattered,” said Williams. “I mean, there’s a lot of trash and debris here, you know, it’s very unsafe.”
Williams says there are concerns about the area being a problem spot in Pine Hills. The PHCC president, Dr. Latanya Nichols, sent our News 6 team correspondence they’ve had with Orange County dating back to 2022 when the site was scheduled to go in front of the Nuisance Abatement Board.
A sign posted on the front door of the site by code enforcement says the building has been condemned.
“It’s very unsafe for kids walking by,” said Williams. “There’s a lot of illegal activities probably going on in here as people are sleeping at night.”
A spokesperson for Orange County told our News 6 team Monday that there are pending code violations on the property dating back to 2010. They are scheduled to go to the Special Magistrate in May.
We’re also learning that the county will be stepping in to demolish the existing building after a complicated history.
You can read their full statement below:
“Several months ago, there was a fire at 2332 N. Hiawassee Road, and the property owner erected a fence to secure the property. Due to the damage from the recent fire (3/29/25), the structure is not able to be adequately secured and is a threat to the health, safety, and welfare of the community.
“Due to the condition of the structure and the property not being able to be secured, the Neighborhood Services Manager and the County Building Official concurred about the need for an emergency demolition (per Orange County Ordinance 9-279). With this concurrence, the County will proceed with demolishing the structure.”
Orange County government spokesperson
Williams already owns childcare facilities in the community and said she would even be interested in buying the property and expanding her business there in the future.
“Since I’m a member of the Pine Hills Community Council, we’re trying to beautify and clean up our area because we hear so much ‘Crime Hills,‘” said Williams. “A lot of people here are working together to try to make this a better place for everyone to live. So, it’s not all about crime. We’re trying to beautify this area and bring people, more people, in our area, and this could be part of that.”
The PHCC is hosting a meeting Tuesday night, and the issue is open to discussion. A flyer for the monthly general meeting says a special topic of discussion will be the possibility of Pine Hills becoming its own municipality.
The meeting will be from 6 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. at the Orange County Multicultural Center at 7149 W. Colonial Drive.
#BLDW 2425 N Hiawassee Road. Units dispatched at 11:54pm to reports of a church fire, flames showing out of roof upon arrival. Units quickly put water on the fire, crews now conducting extensive overhaul. No injuries. SFM will investigate cause of fire. pic.twitter.com/oMX0iyJyXG
— OCFire Rescue (@OCFireRescue) March 30, 2025
The property has seen Orange County firefighters before, as News 6 reported last February that the structure suffered an expansive fire which caused its roof to collapse. No one was inside and no injuries were reported, firefighters said, adding the building was abandoned.
Florida’s Division of Investigative and Forensic Services later released photos of a man they say was on the property and is connected to the 2024 fire.
News 6 spoke with Pastor Omar, who owned property next door and called 911 when the fire started that February. He said the property had been a problem spot ever since it was abandoned.
“I had a gentleman working on my property. He said he saw a guy in all black, slender guy, walking around the property arguing on the phone with somebody. And not to long after he left, I came and I smelled smoke,” he said.
