THE LEDGER

Flames Consume Storage Building; No One Hurt
By Margarita Martin-Hidalgo
The Ledger
margarita.martin-hidalgo@theledger.com

AUBURNDALE -- Fire destroyed a storage building at Universal Building Specialities on Saturday.

The two employees who were in the building weren't injured in the blaze, said Auburndale Fire Marshal Capt. Joey Smith.

Emergency personnel checked them and determined they were fine, he said.

The president of the company, Jim Vanpelt, estimated damage was between $80,000 and $100,000, Smith said.

The one-story, 2,400-squarefoot wooden storage building was used to house saw-filing machines and other equipment, he said. It stood behind the company's office building. The company site is at 210 Neptune Road.

There's a neighborhood nearby and railroad tracks just across from the property. No trains were delayed because of the fire, a police officer at the scene said.

Smith said fire officials don't know what caused the fire or where it started.

"We're not sure," he said. "We've called the State Fire Marshal's Office to investigate."

Smith said the state officials would interview the two employees who were in the building.

Firefighters from Jan Phyl Village and Lake Alfred helped fight the fire.

Firefighters received the call at 10:59 a.m. Saturday, and the structure was consumed in about 45 minutes, Smith said.

"It was fully involved when (they) got here," he said.

Margarita Martin-Hidalgo can be reached at margarita.martin-hidalgo@theledger.com or 863-294-4639.