JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A fire Tuesday morning at a Westside mobile home park left a woman dead, according to the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.
The fire was reported at 5:49 a.m. at the Three Seasons Mobile Home Park off Collins Road.
“I saw smoke billowing out of the windows. I saw JFRD use a (device) to break through the windows and tear out the frame, to let the smoke out to let everything ventilate,” neighbor David Kuschka said.
JFRD District Chief Aaron Bebernitz said crews from Station 52 found heavy fire showing from the home, and firefighters were able to bring it under control by 6:23 a.m.
He said firefighters’ efforts were hindered because of extensive clutter and debris in the home, calling it a possible hoarding situation.
“I’ve encountered that several times throughout my career. It does create a barrier and it does impede our progress and our advance, but we do train to work aggressively to make those interior attacks,” Bebernitz said. “Sometimes if there’s a large amount of furniture volume, boxes and things that we have to move out of the way, but in no way, shape or form does it completely stop us from doing our job. Our men and women will stop at nothing to come save you.”
Bebernitz said they found the woman dead in the home at 6:42 a.m.
Neighbors told News4JAX that she was a sweet woman who mostly stayed inside.
“She’s ex-military. Ex-biker. She was a very sweet lady who always looked out for me, my wife, and my grandkids. Nothing but good things to say about her,” neighbor Craig Barfield said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but investigators said at first glance, the fire does not appear to be intentional.
Clay County fire
Also Tuesday morning, two people were injured in a single-story house fire in Clay County.
Crews responded around 9 a.m. to the fire on Red Oak Court in Orange Park.
Two people were taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, according to Clay County Fire Rescue Capt. Billy Futch.
Futch said the people in the home were alerted to the fire by their smoke alarms and found the back bedroom of the home in flames.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Also, in Clay County, a fire broke out at a home on Summit Drive not far from Oakleaf. Fortunately, no one was injured.