Collier County condo fire exposes hidden danger of hoarding after residents evacuated

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. —

Collier County deputies evacuated residents from a burning condo at Sorrento Villas on Pompei Lane Saturday night around 9:30 p.m. as firefighters worked to save surrounding units.

The fire started in one of the condos, and the resident managed to escape on their own, later being taken to a hospital with minor injuries. Firefighters with the North Collier Fire & Rescue District faced challenges entering the condo due to hoarding conditions, which they said caused the fire to burn faster and take longer to extinguish.

The official cause of the fire is under investigation.

Clutter Bee Gone Inc., a family-owned business in Southwest Florida, has been providing cleanout services for hoarders for the past decade, offering everything from single-item pickups to full cleanouts and dumpster rentals.

Ontiveros highlighted the dangers of hoarding, particularly the risk of fire hazards.

"The biggest thing is getting in and out of your house. If you are going to have items at least, maybe try to keep it to one room, or at least keep the entryway open," he said.

He noted that clients often feel ashamed, but he approaches each job with compassion and understanding.

"The biggest thing is getting in and out of your house," said Juan Ontiveros of Clutter Bee Gone Inc., who cleans hundreds of hoarder homes on the Gulf Coast. "If you are going to have items at least, maybe try to keep it to one room, or at least keep the entryway open."

He reassured potential clients that the situation is often not as dire as they might think.

"It's never as bad as they think. Like never," Ontiveros said. "We've done clean out for like, 10, 12 dumpsters in one day."

"We sort everything into piles. Some items get thrown away, some are kept, and by the end of the day, clients sometimes decide to get rid of items they originally wanted to keep. For people or clients that want, like a longer process. In a more economical process, you can just drop off a dumpster. It stays up for a day or up to a month, and you can do it at your own pace, and they go right on the floor that you can walk right into them and fill them up as you please," Ontiveros said.

Ontiveros shared his personal experience, saying, "I get it, because when I go to my house, I want to throw away, like, a little card for my kid. I don't throw it away. I'll put it away. But you have to keep it compact and some type of formula, some type of, just a system."

He advised those considering a cleanout to focus on one room at a time to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

"I would always do, like. Like, almost tunnel vision to one room by one room by one room," Ontiveros said.

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