A house fire in Sarasota County Sunday morning sent a firefighter to the hospital and displaced several residents. The fire was reported just before noon in the 1000 block of Herndon Place, and Sarasota County Fire Department crews arrived on scene within six minutes. Their quick work contained the fire, preventing what could have been a much worse outcome. Several residents were displaced as a result of the fire and have been offered assistance from the Red Cross to help with temporary housing and support.
During the response, one firefighter suffered a medical emergency and was transported to Sarasota Memorial Hospital. The latest update is a positive one: the firefighter is awake, talking, and in stable condition, responding well to care. Our first responders in the Suncoast area put themselves in harm’s way daily, and this incident is a sobering reminder of the physical toll that emergency response can take.
The Florida State Fire Marshal is now investigating the cause of the fire. For local residents, this is a good time to review your own home fire safety plans. Check your smoke detector batteries, make sure your family knows two ways out of every room, and consider keeping a fire extinguisher in the kitchen. Have you tested your smoke detectors this month? Let us know in the comments.
