Investigators looking into what started fire at Baymeadows spa

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — An early morning fire tore through Essentials Massage and Facial of Baymeadows, a spa just off Golfside Drive.

The sky was filled with dark smoke for hours.

“You never think it’s next door and driving into the office today. It was next door,” Casey Morris, the director of operations at Phase Integration, said.

Morris works just a few feet away at a commercial technology project management firm.

When he got to work, his parking lot was filled with fire engines.

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“A little bit of a surprise,” Morris said.

JFRD told us this spa was built on stilts over water, making it challenging for firefighters to put out.

“We ran into some problems because the fire burned through the floor. After a while, it was determined that it was not safe any longer for our firefighters to be in there,” Captain Eric Prosswimmer, a spokesperson for Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, said.

More than 60 firefighters were called, and it took over an hour and a half to get it under control.

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Firefighters needed to rehab, meaning they needed to hydrate and get their vitals checked to make sure they stay safe.

JFRD told us luckily no one was hurt.

“We are just thankful that nobody’s inside. Everybody’s okay. At the end of the day that’s all that matters,” Morris said.

The state fire marshal has been called out to investigate what caused this fire.

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