What caused the fire at Bradenton roofing business? ‘It was horrendous,’ owner says
Fire marshals are unable to determine what caused the fire that destroyed a Bradenton roofing company’s property early Sunday morning.
The Bradenton Fire Department arrived to Manson Roofing to find the main building on the property engulfed in flames.
It took firefighters from the Bradenton Fire Department as well as Cedar Hammock, West Manatee and Southern Manatee Fire Rescue nearly four hours to get the fire under control.
The blaze completely destroyed the warehouse, nine work trucks and damaged three other trucks on Manson Roofing’s property. Two other vehicles on a neighboring property were also destroyed, according to Bradenton Fire Marshal Kenneth Langston.
The cause of the fire was being investigated by the Bradenton and state fire marshals.
“There is just so much stuff that burnt, we are going to leave it as undetermined,” Langston said on Thursday, “Unless something comes forward like a witness that said they saw something.”
Neither fire marshal was able to find enough evidence to determine a cause, he explained.
The state fire marshal’s investigation remains open although the fire has been ruled undetermined, said John O’Brien, press secretary for Florida Department of Financial Services, which oversees the state fire marshal.
Meanwhile, Manson Roofing is still open for business, according to owner George Manson.
“It was horrendous,” Manson said. “But they saved my office building which has allowed us to work and keep our 30-plus families employed during this time.
When Manson arrived at his business sometime between 4 and 5 a.m., his immediate concern was whether or not anybody had been hurt.
“Because of the size of the fire, I thought it was definitely possible,” he said.
There were no injuries, however.
Manson was able to keep their whole crew working, utilizing other trucks in their fleet, he explained. He also intends to rebuild on the property and plans to continue serving the community after 45 years in the business.
Other local roofing companies have been especially supportive, delivering food to his staff and offering their services.
“Our tremendous thanks to the Bradenton Fire Department, the Bradenton Police Department, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and this incredible community we live in,” Manson said. “We are up and running and ready to serve.”
This story was originally published December 6, 2021 at 6:00 AM.
