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Oxygen tank explodes as Ocala firefighters battle apartment fire

OCALA, Fla. — Ocala firefighters said an oxygen tank exploded inside an apartment while they were fighting a fire in the unit on Wednesday.

Firefighters responded to a fire at Deer Run Apartments around 3 a.m.

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They said the resident of the one-story unit made it out before firefighters arrived, and let them know there were oxygen bottles inside the unit.

As firefighters went to enter the unit, they said an oxygen bottle exploded. Firefighters retreated and fought the flames from another angle.

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Firefighters said they were able to put out the blaze and it was contained to the original unit. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Officials said crews from the Ocala Police Department, Marion County Fire Rescue, and the Red Cross all responded to the scene.


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Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson, WFTV.com

Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.

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