An early-morning fire tore through a two-story duplex at the Dock on the Bay condominium community last week.
—The blaze destroyed two units and setting back a recovery effort that had nearly put the bayfront property back together after the 2024 hurricanes.
—The cause remains undetermined. The Longboat Key fire marshal and the Florida State Fire Marshal were on scene the morning of the fire, and state investigators have taken over the case, which Longboat Key Fire Rescue spokesperson Tina Adams said is standard procedure for structure fires.
—How it unfolded
—A bystander near the complex at 3440 Gulf of Mexico Drive spotted flames and called 911 at 3:10 a.m. Wednesday, July 15, a call responders credited with keeping the damage from spreading further. Longboat Key Fire Rescue units were dispatched immediately and arrived three minutes later, at 3:13 a.m., finding heavy smoke and flames pouring from the rear of the structure.
—Crews quickly called a second alarm. Longboat Key Fire Rescue and the Sarasota Fire Department responded, with Sarasota County units assisting and Longboat Key and Sarasota police also on scene. Firefighters knocked the blaze down in roughly 30 minutes and had it fully extinguished in about an hour, though crews kept hoses at the ready to douse small flare-ups through the morning.
—The fire burned through the roof of the second floor, and lower levels sustained water damage and flooding, Adams said. The Dock on the Bay comprises several separate buildings; only one, a single duplex holding units 8 and 9, was damaged, but Adams called the damage “extensive.” The duplex was unoccupied at the time, and no injuries were reported.
—A setback for a community still rebuilding
—The fire landed at a difficult moment. Site manager Frank Biondello said the community had been recovering from the 2024 hurricanes and had just finished rebuilding its 23-slip marina. An amenities project featuring a pool, hot tub, tennis and pickleball courts was about to break ground. That work is now on hold as crews assess the damage, file insurance claims and begin repairs.
—One of Longboat Key’s longest-standing condominium communities, the Dock on the Bay has operated alongside Sarasota Bay for 46 years and is home to 19 units.
—Not the island’s first recent fire
—The blaze is the second major structure fire on Longboat Key this year. In February, a three-alarm fire gutted a duplex in the north-end Lands End community after a housekeeper spotted flames in an electrical outlet; both residences in that building were destroyed. Days before the Dock on the Bay fire, a lithium-ion golf cart battery ignited at Bent Tree Golf Club in Sarasota, prompting a renewed warning about the batteries.
—Investigators have not said when they expect to determine what sparked the Dock on the Bay fire. Longboat Key News will update this story as the investigation continues.
