Thirty-four people were displaced overnight after a suspected lightning strike caused a fire at an apartment complex in Brooksville on Wednesday, Hernando County Fire Rescue said.
The agency responded to the Authentix Suncoast apartment complex at 432 Coast Drive at around 5:45 p.m. for a reported lightning strike to an apartment building, with occupants reporting smoke in multiple apartments and fire alarms activated.
Firefighters arrived to find smoke inside multiple units of a 24-unit building.
An aggressive fire attack revealed fire between the first and second floors of two apartments. Firefighters quickly knocked down the fire while simultaneously evacuating the remaining 20 units of the building.
The fire was brought under control within 45 minutes of firefighters’ arrival.
The apartment complex has a total of 24 units, with 21 occupied at the time of the fire. Thirty-four occupants were displaced overnight because power to the building was disconnected.
Authentix Suncoast management was working with residents to find housing overnight until residents could safely return to unaffected apartments.
A total of four apartment units sustained fire, smoke and/or water damage, resulting in long-term displacement.
No injuries were reported to civilians or firefighters.
The cause is believed to be a lightning strike, though the investigation remains ongoing.
The fire broke out a day after a suspected lightning strike sparked a blaze at St. Petersburg Catholic High School, damaging the school’s gymnasium. Last month, a lightning strike also caused a fire at Wesley Chapel’s Cobalt Apartments, displacing roughly 200 residents.
