JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A fire that badly damaged a home and destroyed two antique cars Thursday morning on the Southside is under investigation.
Firefighters aren't sure yet what caused the fire at the home on Sandusky Avenue South, which is near Southside and Beach boulevards. The fire started in the garage and was put out quickly.
No one was home at the time.
The call came in to the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department around 8:30 a.m.
"I opened the door, and all I see is fire," neighbor Brenda Gill said. "All I see is the garage door has a fire and the flames."
Neighbors said that they heard multiple explosions inside the home as the fire was still burning.
"I saw smoke billowing out of the garage area. Some guy was banging on the door to see if there was anybody in the house," neighbor John Lamkin said. "We heard another explosion, so we backed away from the house."
The fire left extensive damage to the garage area of the home and collapsed the roof above the garage. JFRD said the roof began to collapse as firefighters were making their way into the home.
Firefighters made a strategic decision to back out and fight the blaze from outside. They also had an initial issue with water supply.
"The water supply, that's really just a few minutes. That's just part of our tactic to be able to get another engine to supply water to the one that's already on scene," JFRD District Chief Roger Lewis said. "We had an advanced fire. That of itself makes it critical for us to get water here as quick as we can. The collapse was because of the advancement of the fire."
"I was really surprised that we didn't have a fire hydrant in this close proximity of these homes, so I'm a little concerned with that if we have another fire," Lamkin said. "They have to hook up quite a ways down the road."
The homeowner, who asked not to be named, said that he hadn't been inside the house, but that his bedroom is directly behind the garage, and he assumes everything in there is gone, too.
Lamkin said he's thankful his neighbor wasn't home when the fire started.
"Nobody wants to see any tragedy like that, especially on Christmas Eve," Lamkin said.
Lamkin said he wasn't sure how quickly the fire might spread or if his home was in danger, so he moved his cars to a safer area just in case.
The homeowner said that two restored Oldsmobile Cutlass cars from the 1970s were in the garage. He said both are a total loss.
"As I understand, they were in very good condition, antique automobiles, but I would imagine the tires probably blew from the intensity and the owner did say he had some gasoline in there as most of us do in our garages," Lewis said.
The homeowner said he has family to stay with in town, so he won't be alone for Christmas. He also has insurance, so he's beginning that process now, he said.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.