Winter Springs house fire sends man to hospital in critical condition

Heavy smoke and flames from the rear of a Tanner Lane home turned a quiet Winter Springs neighborhood into an active rescue scene, as firefighters pulled one man from the house and rushed him to the hospital in critical condition.

The fire broke out shortly after 5 p.m. Sunday in the Wedgewood Tennis Villas area, drawing the Seminole County Fire Department to a home that was still being worked by crews well into the evening. Seminole County Fire Chief Matt Kinley said firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and fire coming from the back of the structure, and they immediately searched the house for anyone inside.

The man who was pulled out was the only victim found. Kinley said crews checked with neighbors and family members and confirmed there were no other people in the home. The State Fire Marshal’s Office was en route to help determine what started the fire.

The response quickly escalated into a two-alarm fire, requiring extra personnel and mutual aid from other departments. WESH reported that 25 trucks were on scene, underscoring how much manpower it took to control the blaze and complete the rescue. Kinley said the home suffered a partial roof collapse and some interior collapse, showing that the fire had already done serious structural damage by the time crews got inside.

The emergency added visible disruption for residents in the immediate area, with fire apparatus and responders filling the Wedgewood Tennis Villas neighborhood as crews worked through the evening. The situation also underscored how quickly a residential fire can turn life-threatening when someone is inside and conditions deteriorate before firefighters arrive.

Kinley’s comments echoed a lesson Seminole County has already seen play out in Winter Springs. During a separate house fire in August 2025, six Winter Springs Parks and Recreation employees were later honored after they rescued two dogs, called 9-1-1 and opened gates so firefighters could reach the property faster. Kinley said that quick access helped crews get water on the fire sooner and save more of the home.

Sunday’s fire on Tanner Lane carried the same message in sharper form: seconds matter, access matters, and even one house fire can leave a neighborhood waiting for answers, a family facing a medical crisis and investigators looking for the first clue to what sparked the flames.