'First call of 2024': Panama City Beach firefighters battle New Year blaze
PANAMA CITY BEACH — Beach firefighters already have battled a blaze this year that threatened local properties.
According to Justin Busch, deputy fire chief for Panama City Beach Fire Rescue, crews were called shortly after midnight on Jan. 1 to extinguish a fire believed to have been started by fireworks.
Covering about 4,000 square feet, the fire was located along the dune line between the sandy beach and Casa Loma, a hotel that sits at 13615 Front Beach Road.
"Ironically, this was our first call of 2024," said Busch, who added it could have quickly gotten out of hand if local firefighters had not stepped in. "On big holidays, we sometimes run these types of fires. Most times, they're in trash cans from folks improperly disposing of fireworks that are still hot.
"It was not out of the ordinary for us, but the size and the location definitely posed a few challenges."
He noted preliminary investigations show the fire was caused by fireworks in the area. The situation has since been turned over to the Panama City Beach Police Department.
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No major property damages or injuries related to the fire were reported as of Tuesday morning.
"Even with the exposures that we had, our firefighters were able to respond really quickly and get water to the fire, protecting (nearby structures)," Busch said. "I would say there was minimal, if any, damage to any of the property there."
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City Beach firefighters battle New Year blaze along beach
