SPRING HILL, Fla. — Hernando County deputies spotted a building on fire at a popular camp site in Spring Hill Wednesday morning and called for help. Officials at the site say if it wasn’t for them, things could have been much worse.
- Fire occurred at Sand Hill Scout Reservation
- Campsite popular for scout troops, other area groups
- No cause yet identified for fire
- More Hernando County stories
The fire occurred at the Sand Hill Scout Reservation. The deputies were training at a shooting range within the reservation when they spotted flames nearby.
"We're very thankful they were here doing their trainings and were able to spot the fire and get in touch with us and get the firefighters out," said Frank Marion, with the Tampa Bay Area Council for the Boy Scouts of America.
A building on the camp property was badly damaged by the fire. Investigators were on scene well into Wednesday afternoon trying to figure out exactly what happened.
While the building was mainly an administrative office, there was a sleeping area in the back part of the building.
No one was inside when the fire broke out.
"We're thankful nobody was in the camp and nobody got hurt," Marion explained.
The campsite is popular for Boy Scout troops and other groups across the Bay area. It also is the site of the Brooksville raid, attracting thousands of visitors each year.
Marion said he's grateful the fire was contained to just the building, leaving the rest of the camp property for visitors to continue to enjoy.
"We will rebuild so we can get more youth in the community back out here and camping all the time," he explained.
The cause of the fire has still not been determined.