Multiple people displaced, pets rescued at Jacksonville apartment fire

Fire spread to several apartment units and multiple floors on Old St. Augustine Road near Losco Road as Jacksonville firefighters worked to contain the flames.

Chief Percy Golden II said a propane tank on a second-floor balcony also ignited, intensifying the fire shortly after 8 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 5. About 35 fire-rescue units were brought in to bring it under control in about 30 minutes.

Firefighters rescued multiple pets, and one person was evaluated for smoke inhalation and one firefighter was transported out of an abundance of caution, Golden said.

About a dozen residents at the MAA Mandarin Lakes apartments were displaced and 12 units were damaged. The Emergency Preparedness Division was working with the American Red Cross and property management to help residents.

The cause remains under investigation. Chief of Operations Robert Hickson said it appears to have started on a second floor and extended to the third floor.

Just a day earlier, firefighters at a house fire in the area of Old Kings Road located two dogs during a search of the home and brought them to safety. Once outside, rescue personnel provided further aid, including administering oxygen to help the dogs recover from smoke exposure, according to the depatrment.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Multiple people displaced, pets rescued at Jacksonville apartment fire