St. Augustine couple escapes house fire

No injuries reported; house destroyed by flames

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A man and a woman made it safely out of their burning St. Augustine home early Tuesday morning, but the house was left in ruins.

St. Johns County firefighters arrived around 3:15 a.m. to find heavy smoke and flames shooting out of the garage attached to a home at 3375 Arrowhead Drive. The homeowners were already out of the house and there were no injuries, but a neighbor told News4Jax that the family's cat was missing after the fire.

SJCFR Capt. Jeremy Robshaw said it took about 90 minutes to get the fire under control and there was concern of the fire spreading to other homes in the area.

"In this neighborhood in particular, the homes are rather on large lots so there is some space between them. It allows us to defend those a little easier. This was a very large residential structure and there was a lot of fire moving throughout the structure," said Robshaw.

IMAGES: St. Augustine home in flames

One of the biggest challenges in bringing the fire under control was the size of the house.

Neighbor Ralph Wyman said the flames were so intense he could feel the heat in his driveway.

"I came out a few minutes later to see that the house was up in flames. Probably, flames shooting up maybe 20 feet above the roof," Wyman said. "(The flames) were very big and you could feel the heat of them standing in the driveway; you could feel the heat from the house."

Firefighters said it might have started in the garage and spread throughout the house. The fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire. 

Wyman said the homeowners are staying with family who lives in the area.

"We've known them for a very long time. They're very good neighbors and we're happy they got out safe and sound," said Wyman.