YULEE, Fla. — A family is in mourning after a fire at a mobile home in Yulee claimed the lives of two and left one person in critical condition early this Monday morning.
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Nothing but a twisted metal roof and the charred shell of the Yulee home remained by mid-afternoon.
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Nassau County Fire Chief Brady Rigdon said multiple calls came in around 5:30 Monday morning, but by the time fire crews arrived, the entire home was engulfed in flames.
“The amount of fire and the amount of heat that they encountered early on was just too significant to make an interior attack and to try to fight the fire inside,” said Rigdon.
According to a GoFundMe set up for the victims, Carlton Wheeldon and his 16-year-old grandson Blake Hendricks were killed in the fire.
Chief Rigdon said crews were able to rescue one, yet-to-be-identified individual who was near the back of the home.
They were transported to UF Health downtown and then to a burn unit in Gainesville.
That person was in critical condition according to the fire department.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated by the State Fire Marshall’s Office.
Given the snap of cold weather, Rigdon took the opportunity to remind people to take the necessary steps to help avoid falling victim to a house fire.
“Twice a year change the batteries in your smoke detectors. Many of the newer models of smoke detectors that you can purchase have ten-year batteries so you don’t have to change them near as often,” said Rigdon.
Chief Rigdon also emphasized space heater safety.
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He reminded people to keep those devices away from combustible materials and to unplug them while not in use.
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