Bradenton Warehouse Fire: Schools Ask For Student Pickups

BRADENTON, FL — Update, 2:30 p.m. May 18: The Manatee County school district is asking parents of children who normally walk home from Samoset Elementary and Southeast High School to pick them up due to heavy smoke related to a five-alarm warehouse fire in Bradenton.

Earlier: Manatee County Public Safety is asking folks to evacuate an area around the 1200 block of 44th Ave. East after a fire broke out Thursday in a warehouse that reportedly belongs to Dan Callaghan Enterprises. The blaze has been elevated from a three-alarm fire to five alarms with nearby roads also off limits.

“If you are in the area evacuate, heavy smoke will cause respiratory issues,” Manatee County Public Safety Tweeted just after 12:30 p.m. May 18.

Authorities say 44th Ave. East is closed from Ninth Street East to 15th Street East. Motorists are asked to stay out of the area.

Manatee County Public Safety is asking people in the areas of Tropical Oaks and Cortez Landings to evacuate. The following map provided by the agency shows the affected area:

Further information, including what sparked the blaze, is not yet available.

The fire broke out in a warehouse belonging to Dan Callaghan Enterprises, a Bradenton-based tire company, according to ABC 7.

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Photo courtesy of Manatee County Public Safety