Fire damages West Coast Surf Shop on day of severe weather in Manatee
Severe weather brought heavy rains, damaging winds and the report of waterspouts to Manatee County and elsewhere across Florida on Sunday.
But it was something that happened just before the severe weather hit that could have caused the most damage.
Shortly before 3 p.m., a fire broke out at West Coast Surf Shop, 3902 Gulf Dr. Holmes Beach. The fire appeared to cause severe damage to the exterior of the building based on photos and video from the scene.
There was no definitive word as to the cause of the fire Sunday night, though West Manatee Fire and Rescue was looking into the possibility that it was electrical in nature, originating on the second floor. There was no evidence that the weather caused the fire.
According to ABC7 WWSB, Manatee Fire and Rescue responded to the fire and confirmed that 33 people were inside when it started, with three of those being employees. There were no injuries, according to ABC7 WWSB.
After a good start to the weekend weather Saturday and into the first part of Sunday, conditions began to deteriorate in the afternoon.
About 2:50 p.m., radar indicated there was a waterspout about seven miles west of Anna Maria moving to the northeast at 40 mph. That waterspout later reportedly made landfall as a tornado in Pinellas County. There was also a report later Sunday of a second waterspout near MacDill Air Force Base, but that one never reached land.
With the rain moving out of the area Sunday evening, cooler weather will move in for the start of the week. Monday's high temperature is only expected to be in the high 60s, according to Spectrum Bay News 9. Tuesday morning lows will be in the 50s for much of Manatee County in what could be one final cool morning before the warm weather is here to stay for several months.
According to Bay News 9's forecast, highs should be back in the 80s by Wednesday, and there's little to no chance of rain through the week ahead.
This story was originally published April 15, 2018 at 7:15 PM with the headline "Fire damages West Coast Surf Shop on day of severe weather in Manatee."