Emergency workers ask Pinellas Park residents to evacuate due to potentially hazardous fire
PINELLAS PARK, Fla. — Emergency workers in Pinellas Park are asking for anyone living within a quarter-mile of 6400 53rd Street to evacuate their home while firefighters deal with a blaze that potentially involves hazardous materials.
Initially, residents were asked to stay indoors.
The Pinellas Park Fire Department released the following statement on the fire:
“Pinellas Park Fire Department, in conjunction with the Pinellas County Hazardous Materials Team, Lealman Fire Rescue, and St. Petersburg Fire Rescue are still engaged in an active hazardous materials incident. Residents initially noted a fog with an odor in the area. Arriving fire crews found a storage unit with a plume of smoke coming from it.
Due to the nature of the contents on site, residents have been requested to evacuate if they live within a 300-meter radius (roughly 1/4 mile) from 6400 53rd Street.”
A safe place is being provided at the Broderick Recreation Center, located at 6101 66th Ave., for any evacuee who does not have a place to go.
Officials say the situation caused a firefighter to be taken to the hospital, but the individual’s current status was not immediately released, other than to say that they were in “stable condition.”
This is a breaking story and more details will be posted as they become available.
