Source of fire at Bradenton home under investigation
One elderly Bradenton couple will come home to the damage a fire caused their home on Monday morning.
Investigators don’t know what ignited the flames inside the home in the 3200 block of 14th Avenue West in Bradenton, according to Bradenton Fire Rescue incident commander Battalion Chief Dave Foxall.
The fire mostly was contained to a front bedroom, but it extended partially into the attic.
The source of the fire is under investigation but it appeared to originate from one piece of furniture in that bedroom.
The couple was not home and there were no injuries.
Calvin Ware, of Palmetto, was talking to his sister-in-law, letting her know he was outside to drop off something, when he noticed the smoke coming from the nearby home.
“That smoke looked a little too big to be someone cooking,” Ware said.
He quickly hung up with his sister-in-law and called 911.
Within moments, seven fire engines and other vehicles from Bradenton Fire Rescue, the Bradenton Police Department and Manatee County Emergency Medical Services were lining the street. The fire quickly was extinguished, according to Foxall.
Donna Williams, the couple’s neighbor across the street, said the couple has lived there since before she moved to the neighborhood 20 years ago. Williams and several other neighbors gathered to watch fire crews work.
Afterward, firefighters were seen soaping and hosing each other down as part a new de-contamination protocol implemented about six months ago, according to Foxall.
