About 35 firefighters responded to a house fire in Mandarin Tuesday morning. The State Fire Marshal's Office tells WOKV News it was caused by a candle lit by the occupants. The candle burned overnight and set a night stand on fire.
The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department said the incident happened at 11011 Lippizan Drive and received the call for help around 6:45 a.m.
A woman woke up to the sight of flames. She and man were able to get out of the house safely, according to JFRD.
One room is completely gutted and the rest of the house sustained smoke damage, according to JFRD.
Firefighters were able to put out the flames in about 10 minutes.
Smoke detectors were installed in the house, but it’s unclear if they were working.
The Red Cross was called to help the couple who had only been living in the house for a week.