Rosita Caudillo looks in her car for belonging after a fire destroyed a wood packing house leased by Otero Nurseries. Two vehicles and two trailers were also destroyed by the fire at 9300 155th Lane South in Delray Beach, Florida on June 22, 2017. Caudillo, who works for Otero Nurseries lost her driver license and social security card and key fob to another car in the fire. The car was not insured as she was getting ready to sell it. The fire was possibly was caused by a torch being used to dismantle some green houses. (Allen Eyestone / The Palm Beach Post)
Paige Fry Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
4:00 p.m Monday, June 26, 2017
DELRAY BEACH, FL
Fire rescue investigations determined that the large one-story wood commercial building that caught fire at a nursery was caused accidentally.
The fire that started on June 22 at about 9 a.m. on the 93000 block of the 155th Lane South was determined to be started by a worker using a cutting torch to disassemble a metal greenhouse on the property, according to the Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Investigations Division. The wood support beams for the greenhouse caught fire, which quickly spread when the worker found a bucket with liquid to extinguish the fire. The liquid was actually a mixture of gasoline and diesel fuel.
There were no reported injuries, but the structure was a total loss, officials said. There was no insurance on the property.
The building was leased by Otero’s Nursery. Firefighters reported a heavy column of black smoke that could be seen from several miles away when arriving at the scene. In addition to the destroyed building, vehicles near the fire were also damaged.
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DELRAY BEACH, FL
Only ashes were left Thursday afternoon to signify where a large one-story wood building once stood west of Delray Beach.
The cause of the fire that started at about 9 a.m. on the 9300 block of 155th Lane South remained undetermined and under investigation, said Capt. Albert Borroto, Fire Rescue spokesman.
The building was leased by Otero’s Nursery. Firefighters reported a heavy column of black smoke that could be seen from several miles away when arriving to the scene. There were no reported injuries — only damaged vehicles and property.
Fire Rescue crews was able to contain the flames quickly, but the wooden building couldn’t be savaged. In the mostly rural area within Palm Beach County’s Agricultural Reserve, greenery surrounded the melted scraps of metal remains, and stray burned palm trees stood bare between large pockets of water from Fire Rescue hoses.
Several people who were connected to the nursery stood idly by. They declined to give their names but spatted among themselves about the cause of fire and who’s responsible for insurance.
Rosita Caudillo, who works for Otero Nurseries, seemed to be the only one upset by the lost of her uninsured car, which she was planning to sell. She said the key fob to her new car, her driver’s license and her Social Security card were also melted and burned inside.