PANAMA CITY BEACH — Three people were transported to Bay Medical Center Sacred Heart with severe injuries after an early morning fire Wednesday.
An adult woman suffered severe burns trying to exit the rear of the two-bedroom, one-story dwelling at 469 Lagoon Oaks Circle.
“In a panic, in the smoke, a woman went out the back door,” neighbor Lorraine Caposole said.
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Two teenage girls exited through a front window and suffered severe cuts. An adult male was able to make it through the front door without incurring a serious injury. Caposole transported the man to Bay Medical Center, stopping at a CVS along the way to buy shoes.
“Thankfully he had his wallet,” Caposole said.
Caposole added that one of the two girls lived at the house while the other was visiting.
Bay County firefighters responded to the 6:54 a.m. call by 7 a.m. Capt. Tim Howard said the blaze took about 45 minutes to control but several hours to extinguish. Howard described the house, its front facade completely black, as a total loss.
Howard believes the fire started in the back portion of the house. Neighbor Jean Meyer woke up to a crackling sound and saw the back porch of the house engulfed in flames.
Howard would not reveal any the names of any of the people living in the house. The listed owner on the Bay Property Appraiser’s website is Randall Harmeyer, of Springfield, Va.