SPRING HILL, Fla. – It was a chaotic scene Saturday afternoon in Hernando County. Just before 2:30 p.m., emergency crews rushed to the 300 block of Peach Tree Drive in Spring Hill after getting calls about a house on fire.
When the first trucks from Hernando County Fire Rescue pulled up, the situation was already intense. The house was completely engulfed in flames, and the fire had even jumped to a field, starting a second blaze in the brush.
Things got complicated quickly for the firefighters. They spotted someone near the burning house acting very erratically. Because of how strangely this person was behaving, the crews couldn’t immediately check the house to see if anyone was trapped inside.
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They had to call law enforcement to handle the individual while they fought the flames from the outside. Once it was safe to enter, firefighters searched the home and were relieved to find it empty.
The brush fire in the adjacent field kept growing, so Pasco County Fire Rescue was called in to help knock it down. It took the teams about 45 minutes to get both fires under control.
Sadly, the house is a total loss, but no injuries were reported. Investigators have since confirmed the fire was set on purpose.
A suspect is now in custody, and the State Fire Marshal’s Office is working with the Sheriff’s Office to finish the investigation.
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