A Marion County firefighter was hospitalized on Thursday evening after sustaining an injury while battling a two-alarm house fire in north Ocala.
According to Marion County Fire Rescue, shortly before 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 4, MCFR units were dispatched to the 10200 block of N U.S. Highway 441 in Ocala after receiving multiple reports that a home in the area was engulfed in flames.
At around 8:05 p.m., firefighters arrived at the home and observed “heavy flames” rising from the garage. MCFR stated that “large column of black smoke” was also visible “for miles.”
A propane tank near the fire soon exploded, and MCFR crews quickly utilized hose lines to blast the flames with water. Additional crews soon arrived at the home to assist with combating the blaze, which had spread to vehicles that were parked outside the residence.
When firefighters began entering the home to search for any occupants, the fire conditions inside the residence “quickly deteriorated.” As a result, one of those firefighters, identified as MCFR Lieutenant Nicholas Ghigliotty, sustained an unspecified injury.
Paramedics at the scene treated Lieutenant Ghigliotty before transporting him to UF Shands Teaching Hospital in Gainesville. He was medically evaluated and released from the hospital at around 10:30 p.m.
Back at the scene of the fire, MCFR crews continued battling the flames, and the fire was called under control at around 8:20 p.m.
There were no additional injuries reported.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office is currently conducting an investigation to determine the cause and origin of the house fire, according to Marion County Fire Rescue.