On Wednesday morning, a tragic house fire in northern Florida claimed the lives of four individuals. As per information from NBC affiliate WTLV, Baker County Fire Rescue received an emergency call at 8:30 a.m. regarding the incident in a remote neighborhood close to the Georgia state border.
Upon reaching the scene, firefighters encountered a fully engulfed house in flames. Before the arrival of the fire brigade, two adults managed to escape the blaze and were subsequently airlifted to UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville, where they remain in critical condition.
“This touches us in a lot of ways. One of the victims in this fire is a correctional officer at our facility,” Baker County Sheriff Sheriff Scotty Rhoden stated. “We’re going to continue to keep him in our prayers along with all the other family members and all the other people involved in this fire.”
Firefighters rescued one adult and two children from the residence. Unfortunately, all three were declared deceased on-site. Initially, there was concern about a third child being unaccounted for, but regrettably, they were later discovered deceased within the house.
A firefighter sustained minor injuries and has been transported to the hospital. Additionally, two dogs lost their lives in the blaze.
The origin of the fire is currently being investigated.
