WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — Pasco County Fire Rescue responded to a fatal mobile home fire Monday morning.
Pasco fire officials say one elderly woman and one dog was found dead in the mobile home fire located off Penny Royal Road near Wesley Chapel.
An elderly man was severely burned in the fire and is being flown by Bayflite to a local trauma center. He died from his injuries from the fire Tuesday, Pasco fire rescue confirms.
“It’s a heartbreaking day," Pasco Fire Rescue spokesperson Corey Dierdorff said. "Every one of us got into the fire service to try and save lives and when the fire is so intense that you can’t get in there, it’s something that every one of these individuals who are on scene here today are taking heavily. It’s a very somber scene down there."
Pasco fire investigators believe the age of the mobile home may have caused the fire to spread quickly, completely engulfing the entire mobile home in five to ten minutes.
Sky 10 flew to the scene of the fire, where officials say several neighbors tried to help rescue the elderly couple.
“Our hearts go out to the family, we did everything we could to try and get in there but the fire conditions were just too heavy and unfortunately someone passed away today," Dierdorff added.
Pasco County Fire Rescue is performing a joint investigation with other departments and has not determined the cause of the fire.
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