JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A family of six escaped, but three of their six cats died in a house fire Friday morning in Murray Hill, according to the family and the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.
The fire was reported shortly before 11:30 a.m. at a home on Rosselle Street.
Crews were able to get there quickly because a fire station is located just 2 minutes from the house. Crews said there was heavy fire showing when they arrived. Minutes later, they announced the fire was under control.
This fire is now under control.
— THEJFRD (@THEJFRD) January 28, 2022
JFRD said one person had a minor burn and initially wanted to go to a hospital but then changed their mind.
The American Red Cross was called to help the family of two adults and four children, JFRD said.
According to JFRD, the cause of the fire was believed to be electrical. JFRD said the fire started in one of the bedrooms near a window and spread into the attic. There was water and smoke damage.
It was not immediately known whether the home was insured.
JFRD is concerned that this fire will be one of many over the weekend because of frigid temperatures.
“It’s the beginning of a cold weekend. All I can say is be careful using space heaters, using overloading electrical circuits,” said JFRD Capt. Eric Prosswimmer.
Prosswimmer said JFRD hopes people are extra cautious with how they try to warm their homes and reduce any potential hazards.
“We really need to be careful. We imagine that there are going to be more fires this weekend sadly, and we really don’t want to take more people to the hospital,” Prosswimmer said. “We don’t want more people to lose their homes and their belongings.”
Officials advise people to keep space heaters three feet away from everything, do not go to sleep with them on and do not overload extension cords and power strips.
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This month, there have been dozens of fires in Jacksonville, resulting in five deaths, eight injuries and close to a dozen rescues.
In response, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry announced a new position with JFRD dedicated to addressing fire safety and prevention.
Curry and JFRD have also started an initiative to remind people about heating hazards when it’s cold outside and to make sure people have working smoke alarms.
Any Jacksonville resident who needs a smoke detector in their home can call 904-630-CITY (2489) and JFRD will install one.