JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — More than a dozen family members were inside a Jacksonville home Saturday when a fire broke out.
Shaniqua Smith said one family member smelled the smoke.
“When we got to the door, flames were everywhere. Then we heard something pop, popping,” she said.
That’s when she says they started rushing people out of the burning house.
“We were just shocked. I was just telling her to get everybody out the house.”
A neighbor playing basketball with his kids across the street saw the smoke and ran toward the fire.
“I ran around to the window. By that time, the flames were way too high, too hot for me to be over there,” Trevaris Lecount said.
He says he watched the family escape -- then, fearing the flames would spread, ran next door and got his elderly neighbor to safety.
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“After that, everything just went up in flames,” Smith said.
A Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department chief said when they got to the home, a live power line was down in the yard. JEA quickly responded and cut the power.
The family watched as firefighters put out the flames, and sprayed hot spots.
The red paint on their car was licked clean by flames and a toddler’s torched bike sat in the yard, a reminder of the devastating loss.
The family said as they took in the destruction, neighbors immediately came to their aid.
“They all made sure we were OK, they welcomed us into their house, clothes, everything,” Smith said.
Action News Jax was there as neighbors brought over food and water.
The family is now thanking God for that support – and the fact that all 13 family members made it out safely.
“Thank God for all my children and my great-grandkids. We all got out of the house safe. We’re all safe,” homeowner Rosa McConico said.
The state fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire. JFRD Chief Kevin Jones says it appears to have started in the carport.
McConico says she does have home insurance and the family is working on the next steps.