NOCATEE, Fla. — An overnight fire left behind just the shell of a Nocatee woman’s home late Monday.
Neighbors told Action News Jax reporter Meghan Moriarty that it sounded like an explosion. Moriarty spoke with the homeowner early Tuesday.
“I am just so grateful everyone is ok,” she said. “A house can always be rebuilt.”
St. Johns County Fire Rescue responded to the Monday night fire. Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department tweeted at 11:34 p.m., saying crews were responding to assist with the blaze.
More crews are responding to assist @SJCFireRescue with a residential structure fire in the 200 block of Nocatee Villiage dr.
— MyJFRD (@JFRDJAX) December 8, 2020
Action News Jax arrived on the scene around 4:30 a.m. to find the home in ruins. A neighbor sent us photos of the fire, and said crews were at the home until around 2 a.m.
These are photos from the aftermath of a fire in the Nocatee. Lots of damage and leftover debris. Our @ActionNewsJax Director lives in this neighborhood and says everyone got out safely. Still a sad sight to see ahead of the holidays. pic.twitter.com/o3lrlDbiGj
— Meghan Moriarty (@MeghanANjax) December 8, 2020
These are photos from the fire taken by our @ActionNewsJax Director who was on the scene. @JFRDJAX also responded to the fire around 11:30 PM, assisting @SJCFireRescue. 6 minutes later, JFRD tweeted, saying the fire was under control. We’re working to learn more. pic.twitter.com/uM3NNeQPsy
— Meghan Moriarty (@MeghanANjax) December 8, 2020
“It was very scary and very upsetting for everybody,” Terri Mashour said. She lives behind the home that caught fire.
Being a firefighter herself, she jumped in to help.
“I’m a wildland firefighter. So, your first instinct is to put water on. I had a little hose. I was in my pajamas. I was just spraying the roof, but there’s nothing like a structure fire that was completely out of control.”
A St. Johns County firefighter on the scene said the fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.
We reached out to the public information officer twice to get a statement, but have not heard back.
“We don’t know, but they did say that their Christmas tree was on fire,” Mashour said. “To note, it was an artificial tree, so just be sure to take your lights off at night. Check your lights, because it could be anything which is scary. Just be safe this holiday season.”
Several neighbors in the Nocatee Town Center Community said they plan to help in any way they can.
We will update this article if a GoFundMe or other fundraising efforts are organized.
“I’ve also talked to the families to see if children might want to send her cards of cheer and try to help in someway to cheer her up this holiday season,” Mashour said.
If you would like to help the family, click HERE.
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