WEIRSDALE, Fla. – Firefighters from multiple agencies battled a large commercial fire early Sunday morning that heavily damaged a factory building in southern Marion County.
According to Marion County Fire Rescue, crews were dispatched at 4:02 a.m. on July 19 to the 16600 block of South Highway 25 after multiple 911 callers reported a large factory building on fire.
Engine 27 arrived three minutes later to find a 25,000-square-foot, two-story commercial structure with approximately half of the building engulfed in flames and fire venting through the roof.
Firefighters initially launched an aggressive interior attack while additional units were requested. As conditions worsened, the incident was upgraded to a third-alarm response.
Officials said crews encountered a structural collapse, downed power lines and rapidly changing fire conditions, forcing firefighters to shift their efforts toward protecting nearby homes, neighboring commercial properties and surrounding wooded areas.
Firefighters from South Marion Station 6, Villages Station 10, Shady Station 16, Silver Springs Shores Station 17, Belleview Station 18, Rolling Greens Station 28, Spruce Creek Station 30, Friendship Station 21 and The Villages Fire Department assisted in the response.
After more than an hour of firefighting operations, the blaze was declared under control at approximately 5:04 a.m.
Crews remained at the scene Sunday morning conducting overhaul operations and extinguishing remaining hot spots.
No civilian or firefighter injuries were reported.
The cause and origin of the fire remain under investigation.