One person dead in electrocution in Bradenton Beach. Eta’s storm surge may be to blame

One person died by electrocution after water that may have been storm surge from Tropical Storm Eta entered a Bradenton Beach home, according to emergency officials.

First responders were called to the 200 block of Bay Drive on Wednesday night to a report of a possible electrocution, according to Manatee County Public Safety Director Jacob Saur.

When West Manatee firefighters initially tried to enter the home, one firefighter got shocked and the crew was forced to retreat.

“We had to wait for FPL to de-energize the area,” Saur said. “Once they did, we went in and found someone dead from electrocution but I don’t know for sure how that electrocution happened.”

Inside, emergency responders also found standing water.

“A person was fatally electrocuted after storm tide water entered their home,” the National Weather Service of Tampa Bay reported Wednesday night.

The victim has not been identified.

The firefighter is reported to be OK.

Tropical Storm Eta was lashing Manatee County at the time with tropical storm force winds and heavy rain as it passed northward up the west coast of Florida.

Forecasters warned of a possible 2 to 4 feet of storm surge for the area, and a flood warning was issued for the western portion of Manatee County around 7:30 p.m.

This story was originally published November 11, 2020 at 8:41 PM.