Firefighters tackle ‘very dangerous’ structure fire in Bradenton. Live ammo was inside
Firefighters responded to a “fully-involved” structure fire at a home in northwest Bradenton on Thursday morning, and smoke could be seen rising from miles away.
Around 9:53 a.m., a fire began in the 800 block of 65th Street West. At least eight fire engines arrived on the scene to battle what officials described as a “very dangerous” fire.
Fire Marshal Rodney Kwiatkowski told the Bradenton Herald that two contractors were working in the home when the fire began. The fire also triggered live ammunition in the home, causing safety concerns for the surrounding homes and emergency responders.
Two people were injured, officials said. One person received aid on the scene and another person was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
According to public records, the 9,000-square-foot home along Warner’s Bayou belongs to Stephen Dye, who serves as legal counsel for the Manatee County School Board. He was at the scene Thursday.
At the time, firefighters estimated the house to be 7,000 square feet and said the large size of the home made it a difficult fire to extinguish, especially on a hot summer day.
“It’s not every day we have a 7,000-square-foot structure fire with live ammunition,” said Kwiatkowski. “It’s very dangerous.”
West Manatee Fire Rescue, Cedar Hammock Fire Rescue, Southern Manatee Fire Rescue the Bradenton Fire Department, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, Manatee County Code Enforcement and Manatee County EMS responded to the scene.
Nearly 20 firefighters responded to the scene to battle the challenging fire, Kwiatkowski said.
This story was originally published September 8, 2022 at 10:49 AM.
