Pensacola Beach had 3 fires in 4 days. Typically they have only 1 to 2 a year.

There have been an unusually high number of fires on Pensacola Beach in 2020.

In a typical year, firefighters with Escambia County Fire Rescue respond to “one or two structure fires a year” on Pensacola Beach, according to Escambia County Interim Fire Chief Paul Williams.

But this week alone, firefighters responded to three structure fires within four days, one of which on Saturday resulted in the total loss of a rental home.

That latest loss brings the total number of houses destroyed on Pensacola Beach this year to three, including two major fires this spring. The other two fires over the past week did not destroy any structures.

The unexpected increase has residents concerned, but authorities are hopeful that increased staffing at the Pensacola Beach fire station will ensure their safety. 

Where were the fires?

Escambia County firefighters were dispatched at about 1:15 a.m. Saturday to a fire at a vacant, three-story, rental home in the 900 block of Panferio Drive, according to Escambia County spokeswoman Laura Coale.

Upon arrival, they saw thick flames on the front, left corner of the house. Heavy smoke already filled the interior of the structure, and the fire was venting through its roof.

Within a few minutes, the entire house was engulfed. Officials believe the fire was caused by strong winds. The structure was lost before the fire was brought under control by 2:23 a.m. Saturday, Coale said.

March fire:Massive house fire engulfs three-story Pensacola Beach home early Thursday morning

April fire:Fire engulfs Pensacola Beach house on Ariola Drive — 2nd fire on same block in 6 weeks

On Tuesday, firefighters responded to two more Pensacola Beach fires. Neither fire destroyed the structures.

Firefighters responded at 6:04 a.m. to a fire at an under-construction house in the 300 block of Avenida after a caller told dispatchers they saw smoke smoldering on the property. Water was put on the house at 6:11 a.m., and the fire was out by 6:24 a.m. 

Firefighters were dispatched to a second fire at 7:15 a.m. to a residential structure in the 800 block of Ariola Drive. The blaze was extinguished by 7:27 a.m.

Potential causes for all three incidents remained under investigation by the Florida State Fire Marshal's Office as of Wednesday afternoon.

“They are not connected,” Williams said. “At least they don’t appear to be. They’re under investigation still by the State Marshal’s Office, and until they conclude their investigation, that is (the only) information we know at this point.”

No one was injured in the fires, Coale added. 

Still, Escambia County District 4 Commissioner Robert Bender told the News Journal that his office has fielded calls from residents alarmed by the fires.

“Their concerns have ranged and have been broad,” Bender said. “But hearing that we have up-staffed the fire station on Pensacola Beach has helped ease some of their concerns, and knowing that we can put two units on any fire before any back up arrives has also helped their concerns."

Extra staff added to Pensacola Beach

Ever since Hurricane Sally, the fire station on Pensacola Beach has had more firefighters stationed there than it did before the storm because of the Pensacola Bay Bridge’s closure.

The increased number of firefighters ensures authorities can swiftly fight fires without having to worry about extended arrival times for backup firetrucks traveling to the beach without the use of the bridge.

“I have also talked with the Sheriff’s Office and made them aware,” Bender said, referring to residents' concerns. “The Sheriff’s Office told me that they were patrolling the areas, and residences confirmed to me that there had been a heavy Sheriff’s Office presence even before these fires.”

Bender and Williams are curious about what the Florida State Fire Marshal’s Office investigations will find.

“We had the two fires out there earlier this year that were right next to each other that were undeterminable as to what caused them," Bender said. "But they seemed to be lightning strikes."

A Pensacola Beach home in the 700 block of Ariola Drive was destroyed by a March 5 fire, and on April 13, a fire devastated a second residential structure within the same block on Ariola Drive.

“But, of course, we know that we didn’t have any lightening in the area on the Oct. 31 or Nov. 3,” Bender said.

“We’ve lost three houses on the beach due to fire this year, all in the middle of the night. But seeing the response times of the fire station, they have been there within minutes,” Bender said. “They have had excellent responses.”

In addition to providing the Pensacola Beach fire station with extra staff, Williams said Escambia County Fire Rescue has modified its relationships with its partner agencies that will provide additional fire support in case of an emergency now that the Pensacola Bay Bridge is closed.

“We’ve also worked with our mutual aid partners: Gulf Breeze, Midway and Navarre Beach fire departments,” Williams said. “If there is a fire, Midway is now sending two units, where they would normally only send one. They have agreed to now send two firetrucks for fires on the beach.”

Williams added that he encourages people to take advantage of Escambia County Fire Rescue’s service to install smoke detectors in their homes — free of charge.

Anyone interested in receiving free smoke detectors and free installation can call 850-595-4376.

Colin Warren-Hicks can be reached at colinwarrenhicks@pnj.com or 850-435-8680.