JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Firefighters pulled a 31-year-old man's body from an apartment on Jacksonville's Southside Sunday after a fire destroyed the building.
Officials said the fire broke out just after 12 p.m. at the Bishop's Court Condos on Hodges Boulevard between Beach Boulevard and JTB.
The man's sister, who lives in a separate unit in the same apartment complex, identified him as Chris Fordham, a construction worker.
Firefighters found Fordham unconscious in his bed with flames surrounding him and think he was sleeping when the fire started. They also pulled out his dog from the apartment, which also died.
Rescue workers called in the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office bomb squad after noticing suspicious materials. Their hazmat team discovered it was equipment used to make homemade alcohol.
While illegal, fire officials do not think the equipment directly caused the fire, but said it could be why he disconnected his smoke alarm.
Investigators think the fire was caused by an electrical problem.