FIRE AT A CHARLOTTE COUNTY STORAGE FACILITY

FIREFIGHTERS ARE BATTLED A HUGE FIRE AT A STORAGE FACILITY FIRE IN THE DEEP CREEK SECTION OF CHARLOTTE COUNTY LAST NIGHT.  THE INITIAL FIRE CALL CAME IN ABOUT 8:30 TO STORAGE AMERICA AT 1145 CAPRICORN BOULEVARD, BUT BY 11PM MORE THAN THIRTY UNITS WERE CALLED IN TO BATTLE THE MASSIVE BLAZE.  CHARLOTTE FIRE & EMS ALONG WITH THE ENGLEWOOD FIRE DEPARTMENT AND DESOTO COUNTY FOUGHT THE FIRE FOR NEARLY TEN HOURS.  FIVE FIREFIGHTERS SUFFERED HEAT EXHAUSTION AND WERE TAKEN TO AREA HOSPITALS FOR TREATMENT.  DEE HAWKINS OF CHARLOTTE FIRE & EMS SAID WHEN THEY FIRST ARRIVED ON SCENE THEY HAD TO GAIN ACCESS TO EACH STORAGE UNIT BY CUTTING THE LOCKS AND BREAKING INTO EACH UNIT WHICH ALLOWED THE FIRE TO SPREAD TO NEAR A HALF A CITY BLOCK.  MORE THAN 100 UNITS SUSTAINED SOME SORT OF DAMAGE.  IT’S NOT KNOWN WHAT STARTED THE FIRE AND THE FIRE MARSHAL IS INVESTIGATING TO FIND A CAUSE.