A structure fire ripped through an abandoned shed and previously burned house in Pace at around 2:15 last Thursday afternoon threatening nearby structures. Pace Fire and Rescue District, Avalon Fire Department, Ferry Pass Volunteer Fire Department and Santa Rosa County Sheriffs responded to the fire that spread quickly at the 3400 block of Diamond Street near Floridatown. According to Sid Wiggins with Avalon Fire and Rescue, the home that sat in front of the shed had burned a year before, and was left abandoned. That statement was confirmed with two other sources. Pace Fire and Rescue District chief Donnie Wadkins said that the man who owned the previously burned house was actually cleaning the abandoned home out before the shed caught on fire. “They were out there cleaning it up, and he went to the store to get a drink, and the grass caught on fire and caught part of the old house on fire,” Wadkins said. “It burned part of his utility room and then spread to the shed.” Wadkins said that by the time the fire and rescue department got to the scene, the shed could not be saved. “It was pretty nasty,” Wadkins said. “When we got the call and got there, it was pretty much gone.” Wadkins said the homeowner said that the insurance company claimed that his house burned down because of a stove fire over a year ago. The chief said that the homeowner was in the works of cleaning the house out to rebuild when the fire destroyed his shed. The shed was filled with filing cabinets, bicycles and other miscellaneous items. Most of the brush in the backyard of the house caught on fire including two large trees. The fire was detained by 3 p.m. “It was pretty bad,” Wadkins said. “That’s all it was.”
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Fire destroys Pace man's shed