Six people, two dogs safe after DeSoto County house fire

DESOTO COUNTY, Fla. — Six people, including four children, and two dogs are safe after a fire destroyed a converted garage home in DeSoto County this morning. Firefighters were able to rescue the animals as flames spread through the building.

DeSoto County Fire Rescue responded to the fire near Polk Avenue and Granger Street around 11:00 a.m. Crews arrived to find a garage that had been converted into a home fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters battled the fire for more than an hour.

The state fire marshal is now investigating the cause of the fire. Officials said the people living at the home were not squatters. The family had been displaced by Hurricane Charley, and a different family later converted the building into a place to live.