Fire breaks out at Clearwater warehouse

CLEARWATER (FOX 13) - A fire at local warehouse stopped just short of burning up lawn equipment with explosive gas inside overnight Sunday.

The flames broke out at Florida Environmental Care near Sherwood Street and Hercules Avenue around 3 a.m.

Clearwater Fire Rescue crews said the owner of the property happened to be on the premise checking things out at the time. 

Fire and rescue crews contained the fire within a half hour. An investigation is now underway into how it started.

“We have the building manager on scene working with the fire marshal to determine how it started and the extent of the damage, but we did save most of his equipment that was in the warehouse,” explained Clearwater Fire Chief Richard Riley. “The fire was mainly in the front office area.”

The chief added that it was crucial for crews to prevent the fire from making its way to the back of the warehouse, as that is where all of the equipment and flammable gas is stored.

The fire marshal is expected to be on the scene throughout the day as the investigation continues.