JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – An early-morning house fire tore through a home in Jacksonville Beach Saturday, leaving it a total loss.
The home is on the corner of 9th Street and 12th Avenue South, near Baptist Medical Center Beaches. All three people who were inside, along with a dog, were able to get out safely.
The state fire marshal said the fire has been determined to be accidental and that it started on the patio. One woman inside heard a noise that woke her up and she got everyone else out safely.
As firefighters worked the scene, resident, Alex Balosie, said he is thankful everyone is safe.
“I looked out the back (and) saw flames going up the side of the house,” Balosie said. “I got everything out and saw a big fireball.”
Belosie said a storage area where the fire started was filled mostly with bikes, surfboards and other things like that.
Directly behind the storage area is a bedroom where Belosie said two others were sleeping and heard the fire. Jacksonville Beach Fire Marshal Steve Sciotto said they are lucky they heard it when they did.
“If they would've had smoke detectors, working smoke detectors in the house, they may have noticed the fire earlier, but there were not any working smoke detectors at the time,” Sciotto said.
Sciotto encourages everyone to check their smoke detectors as we head into the time of year where many people are heating their homes while they sleep.
Belosie said he and his roommates will have to stay elsewhere as they clean up the house.