Woman Narrowly Escapes Massive House Fire in Melrose

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on March 28, 2020

It was early in the morning of Friday, March 27th, that firefighters and other emergency response crews within Melrose began to receive reports of a house fire in Earleton. When the Melrose firefighters reached the address, they found the situation much as described in the reports. The home, located along Lake Sante Fe on a quiet stretch of County Road 1469, was in the process of being consumed by a violent and rapidly spreading fire.

It is not known who placed the initial call to the emergency services, nor is it clear just how early in the morning the fire began to spread. By the time the firefighters were alerted, the flames had progressed through much of the house. Estimates from the teams battling the flames placed the amount of the home actively consumed by the fire at around 75%, meaning that the structure itself is now completely condemned and everything within the home destroyed. The teams of firefighters, including engines from the Alachua County Fire Rescue and the Windsor Fire Department, battled the flames for close to five hours in their attempt to prevent the blaze from spreading too far or becoming deadly. Ultimately, while they were able to extinguish the fire, the ferocity of the event transformed most of the home and its contents into ash.

Living within the home at the time was a woman and her dog. It is believed that the woman was able to be rescued from the home before the fire prevented such an escape, but the reports mentioned that the dog has yet to be located. It is entirely possible that the animal managed to escape from the building as the flames spread and simply became lost in the following fracas. In cases such as this, dogs will frequently show up several days later, after the commotion has died down. Sadly, it is also possible that the dog was not able to be rescued from the fire.

An investigation into the incident remains ongoing with the State Fire Marshal’s Office working to discover just what caused the event as well as weather or not any person or persons is responsible.

Sources:

• Firefighters battle large house fire on Lake Santa Fe

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.