Wednesday, May 20, 2015

EXTRA SPACE STORAGE ON FIRE IN BRANDON, FLORIDA. 2 FIREFIGHTERS HURT BATTLING BLAZE THAT DESTROYED AT LEAST 12 STORAGE UNITS












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.