Elderly Man Dies In Wimauma House Fire

WIMAUMA, FL – The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has released the name of the man who died in a house fire Thursday, March 15, at 5004 Bonita Drive, Wimauma.

The sheriff’s office says 87-year-old Donald Wright was simply unable to escape the home in time. No foul play is suspected.

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue was called to the scene at about 7:47 p.m. Thursday night.

When crews arrived, they found multiple small structures and a recreational vehicle on fire. The fire quickly spread to nearby brush and trees so fire personnel called a second and a third alarm to summon help.

In all, 33 fire rescue units, two water tankers from Manatee County, units from the Florida Forest Service, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s aviation unit responded.

Because this is a rural area without county water or fire hydrants, crews had an inadequate supply of water so they requested assistance from Manatee County.

Additionally, the forest service brought a plow to cut a line through the thick brush to prevent the fire from spreading.

Three adults living in the home were able to escape but told sheriff’s deputies that Wright was missing. The sheriff’s helicopter flew over the scene searching the brush for Wright. He was later discovered dead in the house.

Image via Hillsborough County Fire Rescue