ST. JAMES CITY, Fla. — In St. James City, neighbors on Courtney Street were woken up by smoke and flames at around 5 a.m. on Thursday morning.
One neighbor says that it was the second time that the homeowner, originally from West Virginia, has had her home burn down.
“Her house in Virginia burned down. She was on vacation, her and her husband down here, and they saw the place for sale and they bought it," said the neighbor.
The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation by the state fire marshal, but she says faulty wiring might have played a role.
“She complained about the electrical having problems and she had an electrician out here looking at it," she adds.
Fire Chief Benjamin Mickuleit says that it took a lot of water for his crews to fight the flames.
“We probably used close to twenty thousand gallons," he says.
But the closest fire hydrant to get the water wasn't exactly close.
That's what led his team to utilize a truck that can transport water from nearby hydrants.
“The closest fire hydrant is about a half-mile down the street on Stringfellow Road."
Mickuleit says that the tactic is frequently used when dousing these sorts of fires due to the lack of hydrants, but the Greater Pine Island Water Association has plans to add more.
He says that the fire department meets with the association on a monthly basis to discuss progress with hydrant placement.
And hopefully, those hydrants can be used to prevent further tragedies.
“A lot of memories, up in smoke," says the neighbor.
You can view a link to the Greater Pine Island Water Association website here.
