ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – A St. Johns County family was displaced after a devastating fire broke out on Sunday night while they were sleeping.
Investigators believe an electrical fire started on the back patio of the home inside the Stonehurst subdivision on Ivyhedge Avenue.
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Fran, Jeff, and their son Brent Manard made it out of the home safely and unharmed. They also saved their three dogs, a hamster and a fish. But, they lost nearly everything they owned.
“Everything is gone,” Fran said. “What we can salvage is some of the stuff in the garage because the main fire was in the back of the house.”
The family was sleeping when Jeff heard a strange sound at the back of the house.
“It sounded like somebody was breaking into the house from the backside, which is right next to our bedroom. I walked out of the bedroom and looked out the window...the whole back patio was on fire,” Jeff said.
Investigators believe a propane tank played a role in intensifying the flames. Although the gas inside the tank did not cause an explosion, some gas was released into the air.
“From the front yard, you could hear a whistling sound. Like a flamethrower almost where you hear a very loud noise,” Jeff said.
Fran and Jeff’s bedroom is now unrecognizable. Half of the home is missing a roof, and smoke and water damaged the rest of the home. Now, scotched furniture and charred walls are all that remain.
“All our personal belongings in the house are memories now,” Jeff said.
The family lived in the home for more than five years and were in the process of trying to purchase it from the owner.
“I was getting ready to ask the owners if they would be willing to sell this home to us before our lease was up at the end of the year and this happened,” Fran said.
The family’s renters insurance and the American Red Cross are working to help them, but it’s not enough to replace everything they lost. That’s why a relative also started a GoFundMe to help as well.