Florida Blaze Prompts Calls for Backup

DAVIE, Fla. --

Firefighters worked into the morning hours to put out a fire that destroyed a business in Davie.

The fire, which could be seen from miles away, burned the Pit Stop Discount Store, once known as the Osborne hardware store on Davie Road, north of Griffin Road. Fire crews said the fire started around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Fire crews remained at the scene after the fire continued to flare up and firefighters had to call for backup, NBC 6's Steve Litz said. Dozens of firefighters were called in from three departments and four ladder trucks were called in because of the building's size.

The owners, Diane Johnson and her husband, said their bird was killed in the fire. They sometimes leave their two dogs in the building, but they were not there Sunday night.

"We got a phone call that the place was on fire," Johnson said. "Someone across the street told us there was an explosion in the store. That's all we know."

The store sells many products, including clothes, electronics and chemicals, which are creating a strong odor in the air, Litz reported.

Witness Tyler Graveline said the fire quickly grew.

"It started off as a small fire," he said. "They broke a window and went in and now there's flames coming out of the top of the building, like, 50 to 60 feet in the air."

Johnson said she thinks she lost everything in the fire.

There are no reports of injuries.

Officials are investigating what caused the fire.

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