BEVERLY HILLS, Fla. — A funeral home, up in flames.
That's what Citrus County Fire Rescue found when crews responded Wednesday morning to a fire on North Lecanto Highway.
Heavy smoke was pouring from the single-story Fero Funeral Home with Crematory and Memorial Gardens in Beverly Hills.
Live power lines had fallen onto the side of the building. Firefighters were summoned from eight different communities, including Pine Ridge and Citrus Springs. There were two battalion chiefs, three chief officers, a fire marshal and more.
They realized the fire had spread to a second building, slightly south. A second alarm was called. More firefighters responded.
While fighting the fire, there was a point where first responders were told to evacuate – as part of the roof began to collapse at the funeral home.
Luckily, they were able to get out unharmed. In fact, there were no injuries at all during the course of the fire.
The fire, which began around 11:30 a.m., was under control about an hour later.
Investigators believe the fire started in the funeral home's attic. The embers, they think, went flying and caused the second building to catch fire.
While the cause is still under investigation, the fire is believed to be accidental.
Firefighters were ultimately able to extinguish the flames and left around 3:30 p.m. Utility workers secured the power structures.
In all, about 80 percent of the funeral home was damaged, along with only about 10 percent of the other structure.
There were no bodies inside the funeral home at the time because no upcoming services were scheduled.