No one was injured when fire broke out in a home in the northeast part of Jacksonville Saturday morning.
The Jacksonville Fire Department responded to a call of a structure fire at 716 Sheridan Street at 7:29 Saturday morning. The single-story home was fully involved when the first crew arrived on scene approximately five minutes later.
According to a report from the Jacksonville Fire Department, the first crew began a fast attack from the onboard water tank in an attempt to get the fire under control as the second fire apparatus had been delayed in arriving due to a train.
Once the second crew arrived and connected to a nearby fire hydrant, crews started attacking the fire from both the front and the rear of the home which was packed full of belongings.
Mutual aid from the South Jacksonville Fire Department arrived shortly thereafter and pulled soffit down to provide water into the attic and truss system to help quickly knock down the blaze. Crews then spent time extensively overhauling both the interior and exterior of the home to extinguish any hot spots.
Four people were home at the time of the fire. The owner of the home told Jacksonville Fire Officials that he had left a candle burning in his bedroom and he and another resident were talking in the front room when he noticed smoke coming from the hallway. The owner said he went to the bedroom and found the fire had already gone up the entire wall and was lapping onto the ceiling.
He then woke the other two residents and they all immediately exited and called 911. The owner attempted to use a neighbor’s garden hose to knock down the fire however the bedroom was already fully engulfed.
No power or water was connected to the home at the time which has been deemed a total loss. The owner had reportedly recently acquired the home and has no insurance coverage. Crews were on scene for approximately two hours. Fire Department Officials say the Red Cross has been contacted to give assistance.