A local man believes the fire that destroyed his home would have been prevented if a lightning rod was installed.
Noah Navarro and his family were vacationing in Utah when the fire broke out at their home in the St. Johns Forest Subdivision.
The fire is believed to have started Friday after a lightning strike.
Now Navarro wants to protect his family and others from what happened to them.
“If I could do it all over again, I probably wouldn’t invest in hardwood floors,” said Navarro. “I’d probably put in a lightning rod.”
Action News Jax has been digging through the state’s building codes.
We learned lightning protection is only required for hospitals, nursing homes and schools.
Navarro says his insurance adjustor told him lightning protection for isn’t included in the building codes for residential homes because it’s not considered an emergency.
“You cannot put a value on your family’s safety,” he said. “I don’t have anything to offer but if I could it would be for people to look into it.”
Navarro says neighbors were able to rescue his two cats during the fire, but almost everything in the home was destroyed.
Navarro, his wife and their two children are currently staying at a neighbor’s house.
He says his family is thankful for the support from friends, neighbors and members of their church.
A GoFundMe page for the family has raised more than $3,000.