PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — A massive fire destroyed 20 condos in a Ponte Vedra Beach complex in the Marsh Landing area early Monday morning.
Fire investigators said they were called to the fire shortly before 5 a.m.
One resident and one firefighter were treated for minor injuries.
St. Johns County Fire Rescue said firefighters were gathering any salvageable personal belongings, like photo albums, for the dozens of people who lived in the building.
The Red Cross said it is assisting 30 people in 15 families.
"I just woke up in the morning and saw the big orange flame,” neighbor Alex Murillo said.
Murillo said he lives in the building right next to the one that caught fire and said he’s grateful no neighbors were seriously hurt.
"It hit close to home,” Murillo said. “These things happen and it's going to be a long process for the families involved."
- Related Link: Today's Top Stories.
- For Action News on the go, sign up for Action News Mobile & Email alerts.
SJCFR said a woman called 911 around 4 a.m. to report that she smelled smoke but the agency said she didn’t provide a specific building number or details on where the smoke was coming from; when firefighters arrived, they didn’t find any signs of a fire and left.
"It could have been any building in this general area," SJCFR spokesperson Jeremy Robshaw said.
Robshaw said a half hour after the first 911 call, the same woman called again but this time gave more specific information, and when firefighters arrived they found a massive fire.
"I would say that this will be a significant investigation,” Robshaw said. “A large structure. A lot of area to look at. A lot of debris they're going to have to go through."
Action News asked Robshaw if the size of the fire could have been prevented if firefighters searched more thoroughly after the first 911 call and he responded by saying: “We don't know that. It would be speculation to say yes or no at this point. Certainly we had a significant fire once we arrived on scene."
Robshaw said the building did have a working sprinkler but said the fire spread to the attic, where there aren’t any sprinklers.
WJAX
