Rain, wind and fire hit Anna Maria Island April 15.
A fire broke out in the afternoon at the West Coast Surf Shop in Holmes Beach during a squall, causing no injuries but leaving behind hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage.
The fire started just after 2:30 p.m., when an electrical incident inside the store involving neon lighting sparked a flame.
Holmes Beach police arrived almost immediately, followed by at least three West Manatee Fire Rescue engines, WMFR fire marshal Jim Davis said.
About 15 WMFR firefighters responded to the fire after the call at 2:41, putting it out within the hour.
A manager in the shop was alerted by a customer to the smell of smoke, Davis said.
Davis said after the manager looked out a window and saw smoke and a haze rising, the two employees working when the fire broke out evacuated about 30 customers.
Some customers were reluctant to leave, Davis said.
Customers regrouped at Skinny’s Place across the street while firefighters extinguished the flames and inspected the damage.
Davis praised the store employees, commenting that they did “an amazing job” evacuating customers.
More than $250,000 in property and merchandise were destroyed by the flames, Davis said.
Although the fire was contained to the front of the build, “the whole area inside the store itself was pretty much consumed with heat and smoke,” he said. Only the surfboards appeared to be undamaged.
Owners Jim and Ronee Brady were on the east coast of Florida visiting family and attending a surfing competition, Davis said.
The iconic West Coast Surf Shop has operated in Holmes Beach for more than 50 years.
Davis indicated he did not know when the shop would reopen.