Huge blaze at Mount Dora lumber yard ruled accidental, fire marshal says

Sept. 24--MOUNT DORA -- Jesse Fenn and his son were lounging on their couch watching television when they heard a knock at the door Wednesday night.

A worried neighbor was knocking to inform him that there was a fire next door to his Greenway Drive home. Fenn saw the flames shooting from behind his neighbor's house that borders Ro-Mac Lumber and Supply.

"The first thing I thought to do was grab my hose and try spraying it down with water, but the flames spread so quickly. I realized I couldn't really help much," he said. "It just went up so quick."

An electrical failure on a nearby power line caused the blaze, which took out a large warehouse at the Old Highway 441 business valued at about $200,000 and also damaged the back of Fenn's next-door neighbor's home.

More than 50 firefighters responded to the fire after receiving a call for a palm tree on fire around 8 p.m., said Mount Dora Deputy Police Chief Robert Bell. The State Fire Marshal's Office investigated the charred remains of the area Thursday afternoon and determined a power line failed and caused the fire, which spread quickly with the help of winds.

When fire crews arrived Wednesday night, the warehouse at the lumber yard near the palm tree was fully engulfed, Bell said. Mount Dora, Tavares, Lake County and Eustis fire departments all responded to the scene.

Flames were shooting high into the air and spread to the home behind the warehouse. The family inside was able to escape without injures. Across the street neighbors watched the fire grow and worried their homes might be in danger.

"The flames just got bigger and bigger. I watched the roof cave in and electric cables just melt from the heat," 71-year-old Shirley Harris said. "I was very concerned. I kept thinking what if there was something at the lumber yard that could explode or something, but the firefighters worked fast and put it out."

Harris said a block in the neighborhood was without power for about three hours.

Damage to the warehouse is extensive, although about half of the building is still standing. Chunks of charred wood lays on the ground covered by warped metal slabs from the roof. The building is about 30-feet high and 90-feet wide. It is among five of the warehouses owned by Ro-Mac at their Mount Dora location.

Fire crews monitored the building throughout the night and surveyed the damage Thursday morning. Dan Robuck III, vice president and chief financial officer of Ro-Mac Lumber & Supply, said an insurance agent would be helping them figure out the total value of what was lost. He said they plan to rebuild and continue business as normal.

He said they were relieved the fire was contained to the one building.

"There were a ton of firefighters out here. I think hearing there was a fire at a lumber yard had everyone panicking it would spread," he said. "Of course it's terrible but we're relieved it was just the one building and no one was injured. If it would have spread to another building we might not have had a store in the morning."

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