A west Lakeland man and his two adult housemates are homeless today after fire damaged their house at 2027 W. Hunter St. to the tune of $20k. But he’s alive because an anonymous passing motorist noticed the smoke and woke him up around 8 a.m., the Lakeland Fire Department said. “This is a very important reminder to have working smoke alarms. Had it not been for the observant motorist this could have had a poor outcome,” Assistant Fire Chief Mike Williams said.

A 46-year-old Lakeland woman died just before 3 a.m. today when she was hit by a car while walking her bicycle in a crosswalk across U.S. 98 North at Griffin Road. The car that hit her had a green light, police said.

UPDATE: Charles Kimbrough, Jr., 59, of Creekwood Run in Lakeland, died Thursday afternoon when his Nissan Altima was hit by a semi at the intersection of U.S. 98 and Rockridge Road, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said.

Kimbrough had a green light when he traveled eastbound on Rockridge Road toward his home a short distance away, deputies said. The driver of the semi failed to stop at a red light, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Its investigation continues.

Pedestrian fatality: A man with hospital release papers describing him as a fall risk died after he was struck by a car in U.S. 98’s middle southbound lane near Innovation Drive late Wednesday. No ID yet. He’s described as an older Hispanic man.

Thirty-three Polk County law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty were recalled individually this morning at an annual memorial service. Lakeland radio personality Christopher Rhoden spoke emotionally about the day when he learned at age 13 that his father, a Polk County Sheriff’s Office helicopter pilot, had perished at work. His talk starts at about the nine-minute mark in our video of the event: