Firefighters Battle Stubborn Athletic Center Blaze in Hideaway Beach

Firefighters on Marco Island would stay busy as Hurricane Ian approached Collier County as well as the remainder of Southwest Florida with its accompanying fierce storm surge that would slam the popular tropical island leaving a destructive swath in its path.

Firefighters were dispatched to the Hideaway Beach Golf and Tennis Club at approximately 2:30 AM on Sunday morning. Upon arrival at the Athletic Center they encountered heavy smoke conditions coming from the first floor of the facility.

Upon making entry to the facility crews encountered heavy acrid black smoke with minimal visibility. Command staff radioed for a second alarm for additional units to the scene, and a third alarm was struck for adequate coverage for Marco Island.

Command staff would order a four-prong attack of the blaze which was found on the first floor of the two-story building, extinguishing the fire which was raging in multiple locations. Marco personnel would be assisted by crews from the Greater Naples Fire Rescue Department as well as Collier County EMS personnel and Marco Island P.D. who assisted in securing the scene.

No firefighters were injured while battling the stubborn blaze, according to Fire Chief Christopher Byrne, who along with other personnel would stay engaged on the fire ground until early Sunday morning before declaring the blaze under control and the completion of mop-up operations insuring it was no longer a threat and all potential extension into other areas of the facility were extinguished.

Crews were released around 7:30 AM as the city’s Fire Marshal's office began the operation of determining the origin of the blaze, which was determined to be electrical in nature. The city’s Chief Building Inspector’s office would then institute an inspection of the facility and would subsequently determine that the building had sustained extensive structural damage and deemed it to be unsafe due to heavy fire damage.

As Hurricane Ian approached Marco Island local fire personnel were dispatched to the upscale Hideaway Beach community for the report of a car fire. Upon arrival they found a Tesla electric vehicle fully involved. Fire personnel are evaluating the cause of that blaze to determine its origin.

AutoinsuranceEZ recently reported that electric cars were less prone to fire than other vehicles, however more data is needed to provide the public with a clearer picture.