What we know: Pasco County Fire Rescue says crews responded to Bethlehem Housing in the Bayonet Point area after a small fire started on the third floor.
Firefighters quickly put out the fire and no injuries were reported, according to fire officials, but water damage from the sprinkler system forced about 30 residents to evacuate.
The Red Cross is helping those displaced.
What we don’t know: The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Chief Jeremy Holmes said the lead investigators “believe the suspect may be responsible for setting fires in other areas around Fernandina Beach. It’s critical that he is caught before someone is seriously injured.”
“The business was closed at the time of the fire, which had multiple points of origin,” Holmes said. “Thankfully, firefighters and the building’s sprinkler system were able to contain it — the situation could have been much worse.”
It’s unclear how much damage was caused, but a phone call to the restaurant confirmed they were still open that afternoon.
Mitchell Aarons, a manager, told News4Jax that his bosses were there all night working on the aftermath. He said the man broke in through the back door and reached for a bottle of alcohol behind the counter before going back through the kitchen and started setting things on fire.
Police Chief Jeffrey Tambasco, whose department is handling the investigation in coordination with the Florida Fire Marshal’s Office, said they responded shortly after 1 a.m. on June 20 to the 1998 S. Fletcher Ave. tiki bar and restaurant. After firefighters extinguished the flames, it was determined through security video that the fire was arson.
A man described as middle-aged with a tattoo on the side of his calf and wearing shots, a T-shirt and baseball cap is seen using presumably a lighter to set an umbrella on fire in a patio area, glancing at it a couple of seconds and walking away. The Police Department said it is believed he lives in the area of First Avenue in Fernandina.
Firefighters put out apartment fire in Gainesville early Monday morning.
According to Gainesville Fire Rescue, firefighters responded to an apartment fire on the 8th floor at 931 West University Avenue. The sprinkler system was able to extinguish the fire quickly.
There were no injuries reported but several apartments suffered water damage.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but the origin of the fire believed to be a vacuum cleaner in the laundry room.
The State Marshal is investigating after a business caught fire in Martin County Saturday night.
Martin County Fire Rescue responded to a fire alarm going off at Paradigm Precision on SE Commerce Ave. in Stuart shortly after 7:30 p.m.
Five stations aided at the scene after the first crews that arrived noticed a smell of light smoke.
Inside the building, they discovered a small fire near a table.
Fire rescue reports the sprinkler system was a critical aid in keeping the tableside fire in check.
They also praise the working fire alarm and sprinkler system as “critical in reducing damage in this incident.”
Crews responded to the scene on Taylor Lane around 3:55 a.m.
Once crews arrived, they said the building’s sprinkler system had extinguished the fire in the sanctuary.
Firefighters said there is smoke damage throughout the building. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The state’s Bureau of Fire, Arson and Explosives is assisting in the investigation.
The church staff is working to notify families that their daycare and school will be closed on Thursday.
Fire rescue said the fire happened inside a bathroom at a 4-story apartment in the 300 block of Grand Cypress Drive.
The fire was already partially extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system once fire rescue arrived on the scene. Firefighters extinguished what was left of the fire.
No victims were located and no injuries have been reported, fire rescue said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
A fire broke out Monday at a local resort and spa in Sandestin.
South Walton Fire District officials say around midnight, crews arrived on-scene to an electrical fire at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort and Spa, on the 6th floor of the Spa tower.
The fire suppression system in the room had reportedly contained the fire, but smoke was still present on several floors.
Firefighters say the fire’s room of origin was accessed with the help of resort staff, securing the sprinkler system, evacuating guests, and extinguishing any other signs of the fire.
SWFD says no firefighters or civilians were injured, but the fire caused damage to the tower’s electrical system, and water damage was sustained from the sprinklers.
Guests staying in the damaged tower were reportedly relocated to other rooms for safety as the tower needed to be repaired.
Fire officials would also like to urge any business owners who want to learn about fire suppression systems or request an inspection in the area to contact SWFD Fire and Life Safety Division via email at lifesafety@swfd.org.
Firefighters responded to an apartment fire in the area of 6000 NW 26th Street, just before 6:04 a.m. Firefighters arrived on scene in just under five minutes and immediately began extinguishing the fire and searching for victims. The 27 firefighters who responded had the fire extinguished within 4 minutes of arrival. Building damage was limited mostly to the apartment of origin. Damage to an adjacent apartment was minimal. No civilian or firefighter injuries resulted from this fire. Two neighbors were displaced. The fire is under investigation.
While firefighters were finishing up at the first fire, a second multi-family residential building fire was reported at 6:23 a.m. near the 3000 block of NE 28th Drive (GRACE Marketplace). Firefighters arrived on scene in six minutes to find the building full of smoke and immediately began efforts to locate the fire and search for victims.
Prior to the arrival of firefighters, the building’s fire sprinkler system controlled fire growth, allowing occupants time to escape and limiting building damage. The 27 firefighters who responded completed extinguishing the fire within 10 minutes of arrival. The fire caused minimal damage to the building. One civilian suffered a very minor injury, and no firefighter injuries were reported. Ten neighbors were displaced.
The fire appears to have been caused by several charging battery packs. Fires caused by batteries and battery chargers are a growing problem. The National Fire Protection Association recommends that you avoid charging a device under a pillow, on a bed, or on a couch, and do not keep charging the device or battery once it is fully charged.
There are no injuries after a building fire in Gainesville early Tuesday morning.
Gainesville Fire Rescue responded to the Hub at 1258 Northwest 3rd Avenue. First arriving crews reported smoke coming from the parking garage.
The fire was located in a dumpster on the first floor of the garage. The building sprinkler system held the fire in place until crews extinguished it.
There were no injuries reported, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
Police are questioning one person of interest.
Firefighters found a three-story multi-family residential building with smoke showing from the first floor.
The fire department said once its personnel entered the building, the fire sprinkler system in the building prevented the fire from going beyond the room where it was started.
Fire personnel brought the flames under control and reported no injuries because of the incident.
The Red Cross said it is providing emergency financial assistance, health services and other resources to people affected.
