House Fire In Mims

The residents, a mother and her two daughters  ages 14 and 18, were home when the fire broke out and told fire investigators that they smelled smoke shortly after 7:00 p.m.  Unable to find the source of the fire, the trio called 911 and evacuated the home. 

It took twenty-three firefighters from BCFR, Titusville Fire & Emergency Services, and Mims Volunteer Fire Department nearly an hour to isolate the fire and extinguish it.  Red Cross representatives were called to the scene to assist the family with lodging and any other needs. 

Residents told fire investigators that roof work had been completed on the home this afternoon.  The home has a combination flat/pitched roof and the origin of the fire was traced to the the area of the where the two roof types meet.  Investigators believe that a small, smoldering fire caused by the construction may have been fanned by winds and allowed to grow undetected in the ceiling/attic space until the residents smelled the smoke. 

Firefighters say the home was not equipped with working smoke alarms and believe that the outcome for this family could have been much different had they been asleep when the fire occurred.  As we approach daylight saving time, BCFR would like to urge all residents to ensure that they have a working smoke alarm on every level of their home and to change the batteries in those alarms when clocks are adjusted on March 11.