Fire caused significant damage to the basement of a Jacksonville home Thursday night.
Jacksonville and South Jacksonville firefighters responded to 706 North East at around 6:15 p.m. The fire was called in by a neighbor who saw black smoke, according to police reports. Fire Lieutenant Michael Martin says fire was coming out of the basement and first floor windows when crews arrived on scene.
The owner of the house is Richard Spencer. The tenant was Skiya Finkle. Nobody was home at the time.
Martin says it’s undetermined at this time what started the fire, which began in the basement. It’s believed it started in the interior of the building. There was severe fire and smoke damage to the basement and major smoke damage to the first floor, according to Martin. He estimates about $25-thousand of damage.
There were no injuries.
Fire crews were on scene for about three hours.