Family able to return to home that caught fire after 4th of July celebrations last year

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville family is finally able to move back into their home a year later after Fourth of July fireworks severely damaged the home.

Bruce Newman said he and his family were watching TV when he noticed one of his ceiling fans abruptly turned off then another quit turning and a light suddenly went out.

“So, I walked out in the garage and looked up in the attic and it was a raging fire. It was already from about halfway down this hall forward was nothing but fire,” Newman said.

His family quickly evacuated the home and called emergency officials. Newman said the fire started outside of the home and then moved to the attic.

The fire caused significant damage to the home. Newman believes the fire was likely caused by fireworks set off in the neighborhood.

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“The whole ceiling was on the ground and everything was all black,” Newman said. “All the trusses were destroyed. So they had to basically tear everything off and then bring a crane and then drop new trusses from here out.”

Newman, however, is thankful for everyone who supported his family during this time.

“People at church or they let me say, I haven’t worked from home, they let me set up an officer until I could get into the rental. The company I work for sent us a massive check. I mean, everybody collected in the company matched up at least and that’s a huge check,” he said.

Newman advises people to be careful during their fireworks celebrations. There’s still more work to do on the home but the family plans on moving back in after the holiday.