Girl credited with saving people in fire

ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 31 (UPI) -- A resident of an apartment building in Orange County, Fla., says a 10-year-old girl saved lives by alerting residents to a growing fire.

Orange County resident Jessica Phelps said the young girl, whose identity was not reported, saved multiple lives by running from apartment to apartment to tell residents about a fire at the building Sunday night, the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel reported Monday.

"This little girl, a really great person, saved us," Phelps said of her child rescuer, who suffered minor injuries in the blaze. "She ran knocking on all the doors."

Firefighters said the girl's brave actions during the blaze, which displaced six families, saved numerous lives.

Smoke detectors at the apartment building were not activated by Sunday's fire, preliminary reports said.

More than 50 firefighters spent nearly an hour getting the fire under control and several were on scene Monday morning checking for possible hot spots, the Sentinel said.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but an investigation into the blaze is under way.