Two days, two houses destroyed by fire

For the second time in two days, a house in the Lower Keys burned down Friday.

Monroe County Fire Rescue crews were called to the second blaze, at 219 W. Sandy Circle on Big Pine Key. Dispatchers received the report at 5:34 a.m. and by around 6:30, the fire had been knocked down. Six people living at the property, either in the home or an RV or cottage in the yard, evacuated safely. The American Red Cross showed up to help them find shelter.

Fire Rescue got the alarm call at 5:37 a.m. and led the response with 16 firefighters from stations on Big Pine Key, Stock Island, Big Coppitt Key, Sugarloaf and Cudjoe Key. A unit from Naval Air Station Key West helped. The wood-framed house was fully engulfed when crews arrived. The fire was contained to the home of origin and took about 45 minutes to extinguish. The home was a total loss.

“When I was there, you could still see the walls of the garage, which was in the back,” Fire Chief Jim Callahan said. “There could have been a shed but I didn’t see one. But definitely it started in the rear. I was also told a small shed was there.”

One person reported hearing popping noises before the blaze grew and wondered if it was bullets exploding in the house. The chief said he’s not sure what it was.

“When people hear that, a lot of people will think it was bullets but a lot of times it’s not. It can but it can be aerosol cans, propane tanks,” the chief said. “It could have been any of those things.”

Preliminary investigation does not indicate anything suspicious, Callahan said. Callahan praised his firefighters for not letting the fire spread to other homes. Crews from Naval Air Station Key West’s fire department and the Key West Fire Department also responded.

Thursday’s fire was at 26 Bay Drive in the Bay Point subdivision, around mile marker 15 in the Lower Keys. That was called in around 10:25 a.m.

“The first company arrived, station 10 out of Sugarloaf, and the house was completely involved from top to bottom and side to side,” Callahan said. “The guys and gals went into defensive mode and did a good job to contain the fire to the house and not let it spread.”

Monroe County Fire Rescues stations 9 and 13 and Tanker 13 also responded, as well as Naval Air Station Key West’s fire department and the Key West Fire Department. The fire was extinguished with no injuries but the house is a total loss. The house to the left of the fire suffered slight damage to a shed and the house to the right was unaffected, Callahan said.

The state Fire Marshal’s Office was expected to examine both fire sites Friday.

This story was originally published January 27, 2017 at 9:05 AM with the headline "Two days, two houses destroyed by fire."