Complete Loss

Fire destroys home off Aucilla Hwy.

Ashley Hunter,
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Despite the hard work of the firefighters at the Jefferson County Fire Rescue (JCFR), a fire claimed an abandoned home off the Drifton/Aucilla Highway on Friday, January 18.
A little after noon, at 12:37 p.m., dispatch informed the JCFR of an ongoing brush fire, and shortly after a second call came regarding an active structure fire.
After a brief confusion, it was determined that the two fires were one and the same and were taking place on a small road located off Drifton/Aucilla Highway.
Upon arrival to the address, firefighters found an abandoned home structure that was fully engulfed in flames.
According to the report issued by the JCFR, the fire had obviously been burning for some time, as all that was left of the home was a skeletal structure and the building's rear wall.
The flames could be seen through the trees, and due to an overgrowth of brush and tree foliage, firefighters had to use a chainsaw in order to gain access to the burning building.
Firefighters used hoses on both the southern and eastern sides of the burning home in order to combat the flames and keep the fire from spreading to the nearby wooded areas.
After 45 minutes and 10,000 gallons of water, the fire was eventually controlled and the JCFR crews began to focus on the salvage and overhaul of the property.
The metal roof panels were removed from the burned rubble of the former home so that firefighters could douse the 'hot spots' concealed underneath the pieces of roofing and debris.
According to the JCFR report, an adjacent property to the burned home also had signs of people cleaning up debris from a former house fire next door; bricks were stacked and metal roof panels had been removed.
In addition to the neatly cleaned rubble, there was a small fire where it appeared that individuals had been burning leftover debris from the adjacent property's fire.
According to JCFR Fire Chief Derrick Burrus, the cause of the Friday, January 18 fire is currently under investigation.
The estimated cost of property damage due to the fire is $20,000