1 dead in Orange Park house fire

ORANGE PARK, Fla. – A Clay County school teacher in her late 60s who was pulled from a burning house on Parkside Avenue in Doctors Inlet Friday morning has died. 

Cindi Kikta's family heard the news of the fire and came by her home to find she had died, along with her beloved dogs. Kikta's son, Sean Hall, was devastated.

"(She was a) good mom, good grandmother. She was just a great person," Hall said. "We all love her."

Orange Park and Clay County firefighters responded to a 911 call about a fire on Parkside Avenue near Moddy Road just before 10 a.m. Kikta (pictured) was transported to Orange Park Medical Center, where she died. 

Clay County Fire Rescue said its first unit was at the scene within four minutes and the fire was under control by 9:11 a.m., but it was too late to save the homeowner.

Hall believes Kikta was using a space heater to keep warm with her dogs in the bedroom, and that may have been the cause of the fire.

"She just had it up front with her and the dogs keeping warm," Hall said. "They found her in the bedroom. It was smoke that got her. Fire stayed to the front area there."

Firefighters said they did not find a working smoke alarm in the house.

Relatives said Kikta was semi-retired from working at a dental office and taught as a substitute at high schools in Clay County. Hall said he didn't know for most of the morning that it was his mom's house that burned.

"Unfortunately, my mom did not have us as contact for emergency, and a friend who used to live in a house next door saw the fire on Facebook and talked about a fire on the street," Hall said. "Then we started investigating ourselves and our brother and I called and found out that way."

The house is not a total loss. Most of the damage is around the kitchen because the home is close to a fire station and crews were on hand quickly.

About the same time Orange Park firefighters were working on a small fire at a gas station on Park Avenue and requested assistance from Jacksonville Fire Rescue. That fire was controlled quickly.


About the Author:

Scott is a multi-Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Reporter, who also hosts the “Going Ringside With The Local Station” Podcast. Scott has been a journalist for 25 years, covering stories including six presidential elections, multiple space shuttle launches and dozens of high-profile murder trials.