Alachua County Feed and Seed damaged in early morning fire

Press release from Gainesville Fire Rescue

At 7:08 a.m. on Thursday, February 3, Gainesville Fire Rescue (GFR) was alerted to a commercial building fire at 2316 NW 6th St., Alachua County Feed and Seed Store. The first arriving fire unit noted heavy smoke coming from the eaves of the building. Units from Gainesville Fire Rescue (GFR) stations 1, 3, 5, and 8 responded and were on the scene in 4 minutes. 

Arriving crews began an interior fire attack that was exacerbated by high heat from the heavy fire load inside. Fire crews also worked hard to stop the fire from spreading to nearby buildings and had neighbors in the surrounding area shelter in place while additional hazards such as chemicals stored in the building and overhead powerlines were evaluated. Due to deteriorating building conditions and the collapse of the building’s roof, firefighters moved to a defensive fire operation in the feed store and continued offensive fire operations in the nearby exposures until all flames were extinguished.

Incident Commander Adam Hinton noted that the quick actions of the crew in deploying handlines to exposures were instrumental in limiting fire spread to nearby buildings. The Company Officer of Engine-1, Tracey Higdon, located an entrance very close to the seat of the fire. Engine-1 then used a tactic known as a “courtyard lay” to place handlines on the backside of the building, allowing crews to both fight fire and protect exposures. 

The fire was contained to the original building and one room of one adjacent building. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) estimates that U.S. fire departments respond to an average of 13,570 structure fires in stores and other mercantile properties per year, which accounts for 3% of all structure fires.

No injuries were reported due to the fire or response. The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation.

These fires caused an annual average of 12 civilian deaths, 299 civilian fire injuries, and $604 million in direct property damage (6% of total property damage in all structure fires). For tips on keeping your business safe, visit our website at: www.GFR.org