ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — The St. Johns County Fire Rescue is warning the fire risk is a lot higher Thanksgiving week. This is after one family lost their home in a fire the day before Thanksgiving – which is known to be one of the worst days for fires.
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“As family members and people come to visit for the holidays, you’re going to see an increase over the next months or so through Christmas,” St. Johns County Fire Rescue Spokesperson Chris Naff.
The St. Johns County Fire Rescue sees an uptick in fires around the holidays – from cooking fires to electronics.
Unfortunately, one St. Johns County family felt this firsthand, when their home in the World Golf Village went up in flames, Wednesday.
“It’s just heartbreaking,” neighbor Gina Warren said. “I started praying ‘oh gosh’ right before Thanksgiving, someone is losing their home.”
Neighbors said they heard sirens going off a little after 8 a.m.
“It literally sounds like they were going down our street, so I ran outside and looked out and over to the right – black smoke, it was just huge,” Warren said. “It was just billowing, tons of black smoke.”
St. Johns County Fire Rescue responded to a heavy structure fire on Scaff Road. While no people were hurt, fire rescue said the family lost three cats and two dogs. But the homeowner and one dog were saved.
“Our hearts just totally go out to them,” Warren said.
SJCFR Spokesperson Chris Naff said the cause is still under investigation, but it appears to have started from a golf cart that had been charging on the porch.
“Some of these things get overcharged, the battery gets expanded, they overheat, they explode, and then that’s what causes the fire,” Naff said.
Naff said that the holiday means a lot more people at the house, so it’s important to keep an eye on your charging electronics and in your kitchen.
It’s something fire crews want you to watch out for, especially with more cars in the driveway and people over for Thanksgiving dinner. Inside the house, the fire risk is high.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, in 2022 alone, U.S. Fire departments responded to about 1,600 cooking fires on Thanksgiving, a nearly 400% increase over a typical day.
“Just like with the golf carts, make sure to keep an eye on what you’re doing, keeping an eye on the stuff that’s in the oven, keeping an eye on what’s on the stove, making sure it’s not over-boiling or overheating, catching fire,” Naff said. “Having working smoke detectors in the home is also a big thing.”
So, Naff said to keep your family safe, also make sure make sure you know how to use your equipment – like the fire extinguisher. So, if a small fire happens, you can get it under control quickly.
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