MAY 20, 2015
BRANDON, FLORIDA (FOX 13)
Plumes of smoke filled the sky over Brandon Wednesday
morning as Hillsborough Fire Rescue Crews battled a three-alarm fire at a
nearby storage facility.
It broke out at "Extra Space Storage" at the
corner of Highway 60 and Miller Road around 5 a.m., and blazed on for several
more hours. Crews were still at the scene putting out hot spots after
noon.
Initial reports said the flames had affected just 12 storage
units, but because of shared attic space throughout the block of units, that
number quickly jumped to just under 50, and then more-than doubled as the hours
stretched on.
Crews had to fight the flames by peeling back sections of
the roof. Several reinforcements were called to the scene, and officials said
they switched crews throughout the morning to keep the firefighters safe and
hydrated.
"We have a three-alarm at this time. A lot of that is
for manpower -- being able to rehab the crews and bring fresh crews in," explained
HCFR Spokesperson Nacole Revette around 8 a.m. "It allows us to attack the
fire more aggressively."
But despite that plan-of-action, two firefighters ended up
needing medical attention.
One of the men was treated for heat exhaustion, and a second
was later taken from the scene in an ambulance with an unspecified injury,
though he is expected to be OK.
The good news, Revette said, is that crews were able to
prevent the fire from spreading to other storage unit buildings on the
property. The block of units known as "Storage Unit B" was the only
one affected.
FOX 13 has a crew at the scene and will continue with
updates as they become available.