SANFORD, Fla. --
Flames from a house fire shot so far up in the sky, drivers could see them from I-4 in Sanford. The fire happened off Monroe Road in Sanford Monday night.
There was only one way in and one way out for crews battling the blaze and that was a dirt road. But that was just one of the factors that made it difficult for firefighters to fight the inferno.
The impressive flames could be seen from miles away. FDOT cameras on I-4 and US-17/92 captured what was at first believed to be a wild brush fire.
"They arrived with a fully involved structure. To what degree I'm not too sure. It was kinda out of their control and they couldn't make entry. They did what they could and entered the structure immediately adjacent to the building and went from there," said Greg Kirby of the Seminole County Fire Department.
Investigators said no one was inside the structure. It appeared as though it had been vacant for some time. Putting out the massive flames was a major challenge, though, with no hydrants nearby and limited access to the house that was located in the heavily wooded area.
Firefighters went with plan 'b'.
"Crews on scene did help to lay a couple hundred feet of water supply line, which is quite normal for something like this. We did call in a couple of different water tender units and, basically, had to set-up a kind of water shuttle," Kirby said.
Firefighters were supposed to return to the scene to insure the fire does not start again. The cause has yet to be determined.
