PHOTOS: Marion firefighters save woman, dogs from motel blaze

MARION COUNTY, Fla. – Marion County Fire Rescue says its firefighters saved a woman who was confined to her bed and two dogs from a raging fire at a motel in Belleview Friday evening.

A 911 call came in at about 6:09 p.m. from someone who said there was a fire at the Vin Mar Motel and that bystanders were attempting to douse the flames. It was unknown at that time if anyone was still inside the business.

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Firefighters said when they arrived, they saw bright orange flames engulfing two of the rooms and smoke billowing from the rest of the building.

They began their search by forcing entry into all of the rooms and found a woman who was confined to her bed, quickly rescued her and got her to a hospital to be treated for suspected smoke inhalation.

As the search continued, the firefighters also located two small dogs.

Crews made sure the flames didn’t spread to adjoining rooms and by about 6:40 p.m., the fire was deemed under control.

“I could be no prouder of the men and women of Marion County Fire Rescue this evening. Our firefighters did exactly what our citizens expect in carrying out our mission of saving lives and protecting property. Relying on their training and muscle memory, Heavy 1 crews were able to complete a grab and administer immediate emergency care while enroute to the hospital,” Fire Chief James Banta said.

The cause and origin of the fire is under investigation.