Warehouse Fire in Marion County Under Investigation
Early in the morning on this past Saturday, a warehouse in Marion County erupted in flames due to reasons that are not currently known or available. According to the report from the Marion County Fire Rescue, the warehouse, a 3,000 square-foot building sitting along north U.S. Highway 301, was located in the town of Citra. It is believed that the fire began at some point during the early hours of Saturday. By the time the fire rescue teams arrived at 1:10 in the morning, the building was completely engulfed in flames.
The initial call to 911 indicated that the caller saw black smoke and flames pouring from the building’s windows. Additionally, flames were beginning to eat their way through the walls and roof. The responders to the fire included members of numerous fire rescue agencies from around Marion County and other nearby counties. By 2:42 in the morning, a little over an hour after the firefighters arrived at the scene, the fire was deemed under control.
Although the building was empty of human life at the time of the fire, firefighters who bravely entered the structure upon first arriving found themselves engaged in the process of rescuing several chickens and a dog. It is not clear whether or not the animals were in cages or even what they were doing in the building, but the quick work of the firefighters did prevent all the animals from losing their lives. The dog was in the worst shape out of all the creatures in the building, but recovered after being administered oxygen and special care from the fire rescue team.
The Marion County Animal Control reported, after the dog was fully revived and tended to, the dog’s owner was identified and the animal returned.
As stated above, the cause or causes of the fire are not currently known, however numerous propane tanks were discovered placed around the property. Since the fire, all the tanks have been removed and officials are in the process of scouring the area in order to ascertain whether or not the fire began through criminal methods or was simply the result of an unfortunate accident.
James O. Cunningham
Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.