by Matt Wright
A fast acting brother and sister helped a Lakeland family avoid total disaster this evening at a home located at 3896 Leeward Slopes Cove. College students, Masno Moussa and Ramadan Moussa were standing outside their Windward Slopes home around 9pm Wednesday evening, May 19, 2021, when they heard something unusual at their neighbors house. “We were outside talking and I thought I heard a cracking noise,” the sister said. “We looked over and saw some light coming from their garage and then noticed smoke so we immediately ran to their front door and knocked loudly.”
According to the brother and sister, the homeowner’s son came to the door and immediately alerted the family members inside the home and called 911. The son, Collin Ledsinger, told Lakeland Currents his mother, Teffany Ledsinger, tried to use a fire extinguisher on the flames in the garage but the fire was already out of control. “The flames got very intense,” said Collin. “The fire department had us stand all the way back at the entrance to the cove.” Collin, who’s completing his sophomore year at AHS said he just got a truck 6 months ago but had to watch the door panels warp from the heat of the fire as it sat in the driveway.
The family said they were thankful for the fast acting neighbors and the fire department. Fire fighters even helped them quickly retrieve some important items like Mrs. Ledsinger’s wedding ring and a flash drive with family pictures from inside the home. No one in the family suffered any injuries and neighbors were already extending their offers to help the family.
According to officials on the scene, the garage, the kitchen and the hearth room areas of the home are totally burned out. While the rest of the house is intact, it did suffer significant smoke and water damage. A hole in the roof line above the garage could clearly been seen as fire fighters worked to make sure all signs of the fire were completely out. At this time the exact cause of the fire is unknown but fire officials will investigate further. Fire officials also said the fast acting neighbors helped save the home from total disaster since every minute that goes by in a house fire leads to a greater probability of a total loss. “I’m just glad we were outside when it started,” said Mr. Moussa. He added, “otherwise, who knows what would have happened.”
