June Incidents 2013

It's that time again, as the arrival of June simultaneously signals the launch and attainment of yet another Hurricane Season that will be with us until just past Thanksgiving. To remind our community of what Mother Nature can achieve, the 3rd of June immediately brought heavy thunderstorms with significant lightning strikes to our area that resulted in two residential structure fires (6500 block of Ginnie Springs Road and the 4500 block of Carrara Court in the Glen Kernan subdivision). Thankfully no injuries were reported and both fires were quickly brought under control. With conditions remaining favorable for further development of potentially volatile afternoon thunderstorms throughout the early part of the month, June could turn into a busy period for firefighters even without a named storm system to promptly welcome the start of the 2013 Hurricane Season.
In spite of the routine afternoon thunderstorms so prevalent during our summer months, and with it the threat of residential structure fires due to lightning strikes, a house fire originating from a typically pernicious source is still a daily occurrence. Case in point: June 20th, a Thursday morning and the address of 3740 Drew Street. Units arriving on scene discovered heavy smoke at the back of a single story home, an area that turned out to be another house that had been built directly onto the back of the original structure, itself unoccupied. In spite of the customary agressive attack that ultimately did result in the fire being called under control in approximately twenty minutes, a partial roof collapse and considerable interior damage would unfortunately result in the need for Red Cross assistance for the now displaced inhabitants: a total of 9 with 4 children among the tally. As far as the cause of the fire: a lint clogged vent in the laundry room. No injuries reported at the scene.
Tuesday, 25 June, marked the date for one of the most highly anticipated groundbreaking ceremonies for a new fire station in recent memory. The official introduction of new fire station #62, located at 14599 Bartram Park Boulevard, was celebrated by Mayor Alvin Brown, Council District 6 Representative Matt Schellenberg and Director/Fire Chief Marty Senterfitt, along with other esteemed guests, with the customary 'dirt turning' tradition at the construction site. The approximately $2.4 million project is expected to be completed by the beginning of the new year.