JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A woman was found dead in a house fire early Wednesday morning in the Lakewood area. It was one of three house fires reported overnight across Jacksonville.
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, officers smelled smoke while patrolling near Hendricks Avenue and Ridgeland Road.
They followed the smell to a nearby neighborhood and found a house on Pinewood Avenue on fire with flames reaching 4 to 5 feet high.
When the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department arrived, they found a woman dead inside the home. Officials have not released her age or identity.
JSO said a Crime Scene Unit detective took time to coax a cat out of hiding in the burning house and made sure it got to the vet. There has been no update on its condition.
Investigators believe the fire was accidental but are still working to determine the cause.
A firefighter was injured while fighting the fire and had to be taken to a hospital. The firefighter’s injuries are not life-threatening.
Late Tuesday night, a house on East 63rd Street caught fire in the Panama Park area of Jacksonville’s Eastside. No one was injured but the Red Cross was called to help two adults and a pet.
Early Wednesday morning, around 2:45 a.m., JFRD responded to a fire on Howard Road in Oceanway. The fire appears to have started in the garage. No one was injured but the Red Cross was called to help an adult, three children and a dog.