NW 13th Street fire disrupts traffic overnight

Press release from Gainesville Fire Rescue

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – At 3:31 a.m., NW 13^th Street was closed south of NW 16^th Avenue while GFR crews responded to a commercial building fire at 1504 NW 13^th St.

Within six minutes, Gainesville Fire Rescue (GFR) unit Engine 1, staffed with three firefighters, made entry into the building and began extinguishing the fire. According to the Incident Commander, District Chief Sean Campbell, Engine 1 was assisted by crews from GFR stations 1, 2, and 3, one Alachua County ambulance, and GPD for traffic control in the area.

The 24 firefighters searched the building for occupants, extinguished the fire, and protected adjacent businesses. The first arriving unit reported heavy fire and explosions from within the building. Chief Campbell said that crews had water on the seat of the fire within 9 minutes. Chief Campbell credited the quick actions of the crews and good overhaul techniques from GFR’s “truck companies” for stopping the spread of the fire to adjacent businesses and mitigating what could have been a larger loss to the community.

No injuries were reported from the fire. Crews did treat a pediatric medical patient being driven to the hospital by parents who waved crews down for assistance. The pediatric patient was assessed and transported by ambulance from the scene. The cause of the fire is under investigation.  

Gainesville Fire Rescue partners with the City’s 10,000+ businesses to conduct fire inspections and preplans. For more information, visit GFR’s website www.gfr.org and follow us on twitter @GFR1882.