Deputy's house 'burned to the ground,' fire official says

TAMPA – A Hillsborough sheriff’s deputy lost his home in a fire Thursday night, fire officials said.

Neither Deputy Ray Rembert nor his family were home when the fire broke out at 8:30 p.m. off of Gunn Highway in the northwest corner of the county.

Hillsborough Fire Rescue crews arriving on scene first reported a wooden structure 50 percent on fire. Firefighters brought the blaze under control in about 45 minutes, but remained on scene two hours later extinguishing hot spots.

“It burned to the ground,” said Hillsborough Fire Rescue spokesman Ray Yeakley.

Rembert, a 12 year veteran with the sheriff’s office, received the support of several fellow deputies Thursday night as they arrived at the scene to see what, if anything, they could do to help the family, which includes three children, Yeakley and sheriff’s spokeswoman Debbie Carter said.

One firefighter was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital with a respiratory concern, Yeakley said. No other injuries were reported.

 

The residence and its contents are a complete loss, Yeakley said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

-- Rebecca Catalanello, Times staff writer