JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Eight families evacuated their homes after a fire broke out and left a hole in a wall at a Jacksonville apartment complex Wednesday evening.
Neighbors watched as firefighters used fans to blow the smoke out of eight units at Caroline Square apartments in the University Park neighborhood of Arlington.
“My wife over there, she was freaking out,” said neighbor William Privett.
Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department District Chief Robin Gainey said the fire started in the bathroom wall of a vacant apartment on the first floor and spread to the wall of the bathroom in the apartment above it.
Gainey said it’s lucky the family that lives there was home and called 911.
“If both the upstairs apartment and downstairs apartment had been unoccupied, no one would have noticed until it came blowing through the roof. It would have been a much more serious fire, much more dangerous fire,” said Gainey.
The state fire marshal is investigating how the fire began.
“There were electrical wires in the area. There may have been some maintenance work being done on the building earlier today,” said Gainey.
When Action News Jax asked apartment management about that maintenance work, they walked away.
Gainey said no people or pets were hurt and he’s hoping most of the families will be able to return home Wednesday night.
Eight units sustained smoke damage.
Cox Media Group
