CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – Two teenage boys and two dogs escaped a massive house fire Friday night in Oakleaf Plantation, Clay County Emergency Management said.
Clay County and Jacksonville fire rescue departments responded about 6:40 p.m. to Autumn Pines Drive in the Eagle Landing subdivision, where they found flames climbing through the roof of a single-story house.
More than 45 firefighters battled the blaze, but officials said the home and two vehicles were a total loss.
Family and fire investigators told News4Jax that two teens were inside the home when they smelled smoke coming from the garage and, when one of them went to check it out, he opened the door and was knocked back.
Investigators said the teens then got their two dogs and ran out the back of the house.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Family friend and neighbor Drew Stokes said the people who live in the home are trying to figure out what their next steps will be.
"They're feeling as you would expect them to feel. They just lost everything in their house," Stokes said. "Everything that was inside of it is destroyed."
Sadly, Stokes said, loss is not new for the family.
"During the floods, during Hurricane Irma, this exact family lost another house, which has since been rebuilt," he said. "So they are having a hard time right now. But they're going to recover. They're going to do fine."
The state fire marshal was called to investigate the cause of the blaze.