Charred wooden frames are what's left of the Sarasota home of a 77-year-old Vietnam veteran. Just before noon, Monday dispatchers got the call about a structure fire at the home on Ponder Avenue off of Bahia Vista Street in Sarasota County. Firefighters arrived on the scene within three minutes and found the home heavily engulfed in flames. Florida Power and Light was also called to the scene due to downed power lines around the house. Around 25 fire trucks and 45 firefighters responded to the scene and were still putting out the smoldering embers late into the evening. The area was roped off as investigators from the sheriff's office bomb squad combed the area for any possible military-type artillery. The homeowner had gone out to run an errand and was not around when the fire started. He said he also used his home as a storage for his business and had several combustible materials, including some scuba diving gear. "I had paint cans but I also had several cans of saline. I had my scuba gear. I had several bottles of scuba gear and that blew up. As a matter of fact, I probably had six or seven of them," Homeowner James Ward said. "I got oxygen and saline tanks in there and they blew up. I lost four cars, an 85 Eldorado, and a two-door hardtop. I lost the first car I ever owned which was a 55 Chevrolet," he added. MORE: https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/sarasotacounty/sarasota-fire-destroys-home/67-415d4238-9c37-4dea-9bd9-8ab88815494d ►Subscribe: https://on.wtsp.com/youtube ►Website: https://www.wtsp.com/ ►Facebook: https://facebook.com/10TampaBay ►X: https://twitter.com/10TampaBay