Marion County firefighters battled a structure fire Wednesday afternoon in Summerfield that also damaged two vehicles.
Multiple crews from Marion County Fire Rescue responded shortly before 3:30 p.m. to a blaze in the 5000 block of SE 140th Street. Multiple 911 callers reported heavy smoke and flames coming from the residence, a report says.
Firefighters initially were told that someone was trapped in the home. But as multiple engine companies were responding to the blaze, the residents were located outside the home.
Belleview Engine Company #18 and a district captain arrived at the fire within five minutes and reported that the structure was 25 percent involved in flames. The district captain established command and directed an offensive attack and a search group to check the structure, while also completing a 360-degree inspection of the fire grounds.
Additional firefighters from Spruce Creek Truck Company #1 and engine companies from Villages Station #10, Weirsdale Station #27 and Rolling Greens Station #28 arrived on scene with both Heavy Rescue #1 and #2 to assist with battling the fire.
As crews made the initial push into the structure with a hose line protecting the search group, conditions inside the home prevented them from pushing forward. Firefighters then moved ahead with a defensive operation until the bulk of the fire was knocked down, the report says.
Firefighters from Truck Company #1 moved onto the roof and completed vertical ventilation to alleviate the heavy smoke conditions within the structure. With four hose lines in operation, firefighters again made entry to complete an overhaul of the residence.
The fire was called under control at 4:44 p.m. The cause and origin of the blaze remains under investigation by the Marion County Fire Rescue Fire Marshal. The American Red Cross also responded to assist the displaced residents of the home.
