Longboat firefighters assist in four-alarm Sarasota fire

A ladder truck, two firefighters and Longboat Key's fire chief pitched in to help Saturday night as more than 80 Sarasota County firefighters fought a four-alarm house fire near Clark Road. 

From about 7:30 p.m. to about 2:30 a.m.,  one of the town's ladder trucks and a two-firefighter crew moved from the island to Station 11 on Stickney Point Road for coverage, town department spokeswoman Tina Adams said. The blaze on Country View Lane pulled the county's ladder trucks and manpower into hours of service, requiring assistance through a mutual aid agreement. 

Fire Chief Paul Dezzi assumed a role of a mainland battalion chief, Adams said, responsible for moving around units to respond to other emergencies. He worked from about 7 p.m. to about 2:30 a.m. in that regard, Adams said. 

The fire heavily damaged the 6,800 square foot home. The fire was reported around 6:52 p.m. and was brought under control around 10:30 p.m. Three county firefighters were injured and another had to be rescued from the roof of the home. 

Adams said other agencies would have assisted Longboat Key on Saturday if an emergency had taken place, under the same mutual aid agreement.

In a similar way, firefighters and equipment from other jurisdictions assisted in last week's gas-line break on the north end of the island and also moved up to town fire stations to respond to Longboat Key calls for service.