House fire destroys home

Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.

On Thursday, Oct. 19, at approximately 3 a.m., Jefferson County Fire Rescue was dispatched to a residence at 25 New Bethel Cemetery Road in response to a kitchen fire. According to the report, while en route to the home, dispatch advised that the homeowner had called back, stating that all of the occupants were out of the home, except for two dogs who were possibly still inside, and that the house was almost entirely involved in flames.
E1 was the first to arrive on the scene, and immediately got to work attacking the fire, which had completely engulfed the single-story wood construction home, with flames extending over the roof. Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO) and Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) arrived on scene to control traffic on the roadway.
After a 360 of defensive extinguishment was completed by Captain Flynt, entry was attempted through the building's front door, but the team was unable to get in further than approximately 10 ft, due to the thickness of the smoke inside. 101 arrived on the scene to assist with attacking the flames, and soon Tanker 5 was called in to assist with water supply, as there were no nearby hydrants available. Altogether, Engine 1, Chief 1, Tanker 1, Rescue 6, Rescue 36, and Squad 1 were present at the scene to assist.
The fire rescue team arrived at 3:18 a.m. and the home was fully extinguished with hot spots cooled, and cleared several hours later at 8:07 a.m. Around 12,000 gallons of water were used for extinguishment and mop up of the residence, which was determined to be a total loss. After speaking with the homeowner, it was determined that she was asleep when she was awakened by coughing and smoke. When she went into the kitchen to investigate, she discovered that the area near and around the dishwasher was burning and promptly called 911.
According to the investigation of the extinguished home, it was confirmed that the fire originated in the kitchen area and involved a dishwasher; while the exact cause of ignition was undetermined, there were no human factors suspected in the cause of the fire. The fire caused over $115,000 in estimated property and content loss. The two canines were lost in the fire.

Fundraiser efforts facor house fire survivor

Heather Ainsley
ECB Publishing, Inc.

On Thursday, Oct. 19, Kimberli Jones Eure, who lived at 25 New Bethel Cemetery Rd., in Monticello, awoke to any homeowner's worst nightmare: an electrical malfunction in her kitchen started a fire that quickly grew out of control. The event occurred in the early morning, around 3 a.m. Kimberli was in bed with her dog, Max, asleep beside her when she awoke, coughing from the thick smoke pouring through the home. She called for assistance and local dispatchers alerted Jefferson County Fire Rescue, who arrived on the scene.
The fire took the fire department nearly five hours to completely
extinguish, and the house was proclaimed a total loss. In an update to her social media, a devastated Kimberli stated, “All my memories up in smoke...” Additional updates confirmed that both of her beloved dogs, Max and Shelby, perished in the fire.
Her son, Robbie Slack, is organizing a fundraiser to help support her in these trying times. Everything in her home was destroyed or severely damaged. In his fundraiser message, he stated the following,
“On October 19, 2023, my mother, Kimberli Jones Eure, lost everything in her home to a devastating house fire. Thank God she woke up to coughing, because her room was filled with smoke and [she was] unable to see. Unfortunately, two of her dogs did not make it out of the house. My mother lost everything that you can imagine in a home full of precious memories. She will literally have to start over from scratch, and has a mortgage to continue paying for along with other monthly bills. My mother has always said she absolutely hates asking for help so this is very difficult for her. Thank you to everyone who has helped, including family, friends, the fire department, emergency management and law enforcement. If you are unable to donate, we completely understand, and ask that you please say a prayer for my mother. Thank you, God Bless.”
Funds will be gathered through a GoFundMe established by Robbie. Anyone who is able and willing to donate can do so by visiting https://gofund.me/47fc1501.