ORANGE PARK, Fla. – An elderly man and his dog were found dead after firefighters extinguished flames that engulfed a mobile home in Orange Park early Wednesday morning, according to Clay County Fire Rescue.
About 3:30 a.m., firefighters responded to a mobile home fire on 696 Kingswood Avenue, in the north Doctors Inlet neighborhood.
Harris Wilson said he called 911, alerting dispatch that flames were visible from across the street. The caller hung up to go to try to alert the two elderly residents that lived inside the home, according to firefighters.
Eight units responded about five minutes after the call, with about 17 firefighters battling the blaze.
Firefighters were able to gain control of the fire, which had already consumed the majority of the structure.
"On arrival, they found the building almost 50 percent involved," Chief Lorin Mock said. "In a double-wide trailer, that's almost non-salvageable conditions. They made a quick knockdown of the fire and began the primary search."
An elderly man and a dog were found dead inside the home once the fire was extinguished. No firefighters were injured.
The name of the elderly man who died has not yet been released. It's unclear if the other elderly occupant was home at the time of the fire.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the State Fire Marshal.
Although it is undetermined at this time if a space heater or a warming fire contributed to the fire, the Fire Department wants to remind residents to have a working smoke detector and use caution as the colder time of year continues and heating devises are used.