JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville man is fighting for his life after firefighters say he went back into a home that was on fire trying to save the family’s pets.
Officials said the blaze sent three people to the hospital and killed the family’s dog and cat.
Fire crews got the call late Monday morning after a house in Jacksonville Heights started to go up in flames.
A woman who lives on the same street said she saw the fire after a woman rushed to her door in a panic.
“She was covered in soot and she wasn’t recognizable she was just like, ‘My house is on fire! My house is on fire!’” the neighbor said.
When fire crews arrived, three adults had made it out of the house, but they were taken to the hospital, one in particularly bad shape.
“The reason they’re going to be fighting for their life is they kept trying to go back in for the animals, something that we’re not going to advise to do in any way, shape or form,” JFRD spokesman Eric Prosswimmer said.
Sadly, the family’s yellow lab, their cat, turtle and pet birds all perished in the fire.
Prosswimmer and other emergency officials warned against re-entering a burning structure to retrieve any belongings, pets or even other people.
He said it’s much safer to leave that part of the job to the people who are trained to perform rescues, but he said he understands that it’s a difficult dilemma in a moment of crisis.
“I understand that pets are part of your family, pets are important. But they’re not worth your life. And this person is now going to be clinging to life as a result of trying to save animals that quite honestly, we’re probably already deceased,” he said.
Family members said two of the three injured have since been released from the hospital but the one in critical condition suffered burns on his hands, shoulders and back. He was flown by a rescue helicopter to a burn unit in Gainesville for further treatment.
As for the house, fire officials said it’s not livable anymore but that no other homes were damaged.
The state fire marshal is also investigating to learn where and how the fire started.