Photos: Family-owned bee farm burns to the ground after explosive fire in Florida
CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. – Tragedy unfolded in Florida over the weekend as a fire in Crystal River reportedly destroyed an entire honey facility.
According to Citrus County Fire Rescue, a commercial fire broke out on Sunday morning while crews were working to protect nearby structures.
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Officials said crew members arrived to find a 10,000-square-foot commercial building engulfed in a large fire, threatening a nearby home.
According to our affiliate FOX 13 Tampa Bay, the fire tore through a honey-processing facility at Foti Bees Farm, triggering explosions and causing up to $1.2 million in damage.
Crews extinguished the flames after hours of diligent work, given the size of the fire and the hazards posed by propane tanks, compressed gas cylinders and repeated explosions from the honey facility.
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"A nearby residence sustained exterior damage; however, firefighters successfully prevented the fire from spreading into the home and avoided the loss of a second structure," the Citrus County Fire Rescue said.
Images shared by officials show honey on the floor of the now burned-down facility, after the flames destroyed nearly everything.
What remains is a charred landscape of honey, burnt land and structures after the fire engulfed the landscape.
The facility housed agricultural gear, forklifts, commercial mowing equipment, bee boxes, honey-processing equipment and honey storage, according to fire officials.
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The Florida State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the cause of the flames.
Foti Bees, which is a family-owned business, was founded in the 1970s on a small island in Citrus County.
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