Christmas morning fire guts Fernandina Beach home

No one was home at the time and there were no injuries in the fire

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. – No one was hurt when a two-story Fernandina Beach home went up in flames early Christmas morning, authorities said.

Crews arriving at the South Fletcher home shortly after 1:30 a.m. found the garage engulfed in flames and smoke coming from the back of the home, according to the Fernandina Beach Fire Department.

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The fire quickly spread into the second floor and attic. It took over two dozen firefighters from the city and county fire departments nearly six hours to bring the blaze under control, Fire Chief Ty Silcox said.

Silcox said firefighters initially had trouble containing the flames because they had reached into hidden crawl spaces located between the original roof system and one that was added during a renovation.

"The fire was finally brought under control when firefighters were able to gain access to the hidden voids," the chief said.

There was extensive damage to the home, which appears to be a total loss. Fortunately, no one was home at the time and there were no injuries reported as a result of the fire.

The cause was not immediately clear Tuesday. The State Fire Marshal's Office and city fire marshal are investigating how and where the fire began, but Silcox noted it does not appear suspicious.


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