2 children and their father die in Lithia fire; mom and son survive: HCSO

Two small children and their father died in a mobile home fire Monday afternoon in Lithia, despite the efforts of first responders. Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said the first call about the fire on Pritcher Road came just after 1 p.m. The mother of the two children told emergency workers her 3-year-old toddler had woken her up to tell her the home on fire. According to Chronister, the mother — 22-year-old Veronica Bermudez — told the first arriving deputy that as soon as her child told her about the fire, she began looking for a way out.