A Hernando County firefighter was hospitalized Thursday after battling a house fire in Brooksville. Jayson Willman suffered from a heat-related issue. He was taken to Dade City Hospital, originally in critical condition. Willman's condition later stabilized, and he was released from the hospital Thursday evening.
Firefighters said the fire started in a garage or barn at the home located at 28470 Soaring Hawk Lane. It then spread to the house.
Misivy Reittie lives in the house with her family.
"We built this ourselves," said Reittie. "Our family built this ourselves nine years ago and we were still building actually. It wasn't completely done. It has a lot of us in it. We put our hearts into this house so it's kind of sad."
Because the house is located in a rural area, there were limited fire hydrants. Fire officials said several water tankers had to be brought in to put the fire out.
No one other than Willman was injured.
"We're very optimistic, said Reittie. "We're just glad we're all alive."
Fire officials aren't sure what caused the blaze. The state Fire Marshal's office is investigating.