GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla.— A fire at a home in Green Cove Springs that spread to adjacent houses displaced a total of 4 people as 30 Clay County Fire Rescue personnel battled back the blaze Sunday afternoon.
Firefighters responded just after 1 p.m. and found that two people had been able to escape the first fire on Black Creek Trail without injury, according to Chief Loren Mock with Clay County Fire Rescue.
The family left with nothing said they made it out of the home in the knick of time, believing God left a sign that he was with them the entire time.
"Praise the lord," a family member said.
Those are the words of family members mere hours after the home burned to the ground.
The family said a picture of a cross standing amongst the ash and rubble is a symbol of hope.
Clay County Fire Rescue spent hours fighting the blaze they believe started beneath the home, which was perched on stilts.
According to the family a couple were asleep inside the home when the husband smelled smoke.
He ran into the living room to find it engulfed in flames, said a family member.
The man grabbed his wife and ran out of the home just minutes before it collapsed.
"It burned down in 30 minutes,"said neighbor Richard Moritz.
Moritz said he stepped in to help.
"I seen some smoke and I heard a lady scream, and I go, 'are you alright?' and she goes, 'No. I need some help! My house is on fire!' I ran around the corner to try to get over there and the thing burst up in flames," Mortiz said.
Little did Mortiz know, his home, right next door, was also in danger.
"The wind was blowing like 25 miles per hour. So I thought, 'My God, this is going to burn up my house too,'" said Mortiz.
CCFR Chief Tom Rodgers said crews tried to prevent the fire from spreading to Moritzs' home.
"It burnt the wall off the side of it. It got up in the attic and caught that on fire," said Mortiz.
A guest house on his property tool the heat. Mortiz said his son lives in the guest house. Most of his personal property was damaged.
However, like his neighbors, Mortiz said he was grateful no one was injured.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.