JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A teenage boy was burned Tuesday morning in a house fire on Lenox Avenue just north of I-10, his brother told News4Jax.
The fire was reported in the Lackawanna neighborhood of Jacksonville's Westside at about 10:15 a.m., firefighters said.
The teen was taken to UF Health with burns to his legs, but the severity of his injuries was not known.
His brother told News4Jax that the teen was playing with a lighter in the detached garage when the fire started. He said he was in the house when his brother went into the garage to grab their bikes and then started yelling for help.
He said he ran out to find the garage in flames and called 911.
The boy said there were fireworks and gas in the garage, so he's not sure what set the fire off, but he did say that his brother was playing with a lighter.
The State Fire Marshal is investigating.
The pastor of Victory Tabernacle Church said he ran over to help the boys after one of them knocked on his door, and he was relieved the fire wasn't worse. The home is livable, but the garage is destroyed.
"I felt kind of relieved because they are members of my church. I don’t want them to be in a situation, and it’s cold out and have nowhere to be," Pastor Lebon Nicholas said. "I’m grateful to God the house was intact and everything is in order."
No other homes were affected.
The boys' mother was at work when the fire started, but Nicholas called her and she rushed home.
The Wendy's on Post Street in Murray Hill also reported a fire around the same time Tuesday. Firefighters had that fire under control within 20 minutes.