Escambia Fire Rescue battles 3 house fires in 3 days, including blaze started by fireworks

Multiple structure fires had Escambia County Fire Rescue off to a busy start in 2022.

Barely a few hours into the new year, firefighters responded to a residential house fire in the 8800 block of Mary Fleming Drive in Warrington at 2:46 a.m. Saturday after fireworks discarded in the trashcan outside caught on fire.

“People throw them away and because they’re still hot, they can catch on fire,” said Davis Wood, public information officer for Escambia County Public Safety.

Wood added that paper and cardboard make it easy for fireworks to reignite.

Firefighters arrived to see the flames had spread from the trash can to the right front portion of the home.

Crews pumped water on the wooden single-story home and had the fire under control by 2:58 a.m. The quick response prevented the fire from spreading to the attic.

The home was still tenable after the blaze, but will need repairs to the electrical wiring, according to officials. No injuries were reported in the incident.

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Shortly after wrapping up on Mary Fleming Drive, firefighters were dispatched to another residential fire in the 2400 block of West Hernandez Street in West Pensacola at 4:48 a.m. No injuries were reported in the complete loss of one unit in a multi-residential structure.

Wood said the dwelling was unoccupied at the time. Someone passing by called 911. The loss was due in part to structure failure resulting from the fire. Firefighters had the blaze under control by 5:26 a.m.

The cause of the West Hernandez Street fire is currently under investigation by the Bureau of Fire, Arson & Explosives Investigations.

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Also during early morning hours, Escambia County Fire Rescue responded to another residential fire in the 2000 block of North S Street at 3:35 a.m. Monday.

The incident was another total loss of an unoccupied structure.

Firefighters found the structure fully engulfed in flames when they arrived, but had the blaze under control by 4:15 a.m.

Wood said the State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause.

While the two homes unoccupied homes were complete losses, the family will be able to remain in the home where the fireworks were improperly disposed of.

Wood said the fire on Mary Fleming Drive was the fifth fireworks-related fire incident to occur in Escambia County since 2017.

"We want it out there that fireworks should be soaked overnight in water before they go in the trash," Wood said.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia Fire Rescue extinguishes fireworks fire in Warrington