Local

Fire claims St. Augustine family's home, two taken to hospital

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A family of five escaped a St. Augustine house fire that damaged a nearby home and sent two to the hospital Saturday morning.

A neighbor recounted the smell of smoke and charred wood that filled the air on Julia Street around 1 a.m. Saturday morning.

“I could smell it, I could hear it,” said Corey Thomas, who lives near the family’s home. “I thought it was an electrical fire because I heard shocks and buzzing and ‘zzzz.’”

Five people including two children were inside and escaped the home after the fire started.

One man was treated for smoke inhalation and a child with asthma was later taken to the hospital to be checked out. Their home is considered a complete loss.

“It was crazy,” said Thomas. “All I see is people running back and forth.”

The blaze destroyed the back of a car parked in the driveway and damaged a neighboring home.

“Within about 30 minutes something had exploded in the house,” said Thomas. “The whole house in about 45 minutes was taken down.”

Firefighters believe the fire started near an air conditioning unit in the garage.

Families evacuated a few houses nearby according to Thomas, but no other homes were damaged.

An investigator with the State Fire Marshal’s Office was at the home Saturday morning. At this time, the fire is not considered suspicious.