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© St. Petersburg Times, published September 27, 2002
BLOOMINGDALE -- A 5,000-square-foot home owned by two high school teachers was destroyed by fire early Thursday.
Firefighters were initially hampered in their efforts to fight the blaze at 3108 Fairlea Lane because the nearest hydrant was about a quarter-mile away, said Ray Yeakley, spokesman for Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.
Rodney and Carol Huff awoke about 4:30 a.m. to the loud buzz of the smoke alarm, Yeakley said. They woke their two sons after they noticed a wall of flames in the living room.
Rodney Huff tried to extinguish the fire with a garden hose while his wife and neighbors dialed 911.
It took 21 firefighters more than 2 hours to bring the fire under control, Yeakley said.
No one was injured.
Including the home and its contents, the total loss was estimated at $400,000, Yeakley said.
When the family ran out of the home, no one thought to grab essential items such as car keys, identification or credit cards. Huff's son ran back inside for keys to two of the family's four cars, but they were left without IDs or cash.
Huff said every family should have an evacuation plan.
"Get your exit plan ready," he said. "It's never going to happen to you, and usually, it doesn't."
The family built the home in 1978. The Huffs both are teachers at Durant High School, and Rodney Huff is a basketball coach at the Cambridge School.