Big Pine Key fire hospitalizes two Monroe County officers, destroys home

A Big Pine Key fire sent Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Tiffany Rodda and Key West police Officer Mike Pettee to Jackson Memorial Hospital and destroyed the home they shared, leaving both officers burned, shaken and suddenly without a place to live.

Sheriff Rick Ramsay said the couple escaped only by jumping from a window as flames tore through the house. Both suffered burns and smoke inhalation, and were flown by Trauma Star to Miami for treatment. WSVN reported that the injuries included second-degree burns.

The fire wiped out far more than the structure itself. Ramsay said the couple lost their home, personal belongings, family mementos, photographs, awards and children’s drawings. Two dogs died in the blaze, and the couple’s children were not home at the time. The cause of the fire remained unclear.

Ramsay described helping Rodda in the immediate aftermath, saying he wrapped her in a blanket and gave her clothes as she was loaded for the helicopter. That image captured how quickly a local call for help turned into a catastrophic family loss for two officers known to many in the Keys public-safety community.

Key West Police Chief Sean Brandenburg also spoke up for Pettee, calling him an officer who routinely goes beyond expectations. Brandenburg has served the department since 2002 and was sworn in as chief on Dec. 6, 2018, giving his praise added weight in a department where reputation travels fast and officers often know one another well beyond the badge.

Support began building almost immediately. The City of Key Colony Beach posted a message on May 7 asking the public to help support Mike Pettee and Tiffany Rodda, and a GoFundMe titled Rebuilding for Officer Mike and Deputy Tiffany was created to help the couple recover after losing their Big Pine Key home.

For Monroe County, the fire is more than a household disaster. It is a reminder of how fragile housing can be in the Florida Keys, where one blaze can leave even working public-safety families scrambling for stability while they try to heal, replace what was lost and figure out what comes next.