HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – A van fire spread to a home Monday afternoon in Hollywood.
The fire was reported around 2 p.m. in the 3300 block of Roosevelt Street.
The fire apparently somehow started from a van that was parked outside the home before the flames quickly spread to the garage.
“When we got here, the car was fully involved,” Hollywood Fire Rescue Chief Dan Booker said. “It was underneath the eave of the garage so it extended into the house, so it was a little difficult … We had a difficult time putting it out, but it’s out now, and we’re investigating.”
The homeowner, Jerry Francis, told Local 10 News reporter Sanela Sabovic that he is a retired firefighter and he tried to extinguish the flames himself before firefighters arrived.
“I grabbed the hose. I went to fight the fire as much as I could, but it got so hot and intense,” he said. “The engine started gaining fire and I said, ‘The hell with it.’ I called the fire department.”
It took firefighters about an hour to extinguish the flames.
The van was left charred after the blaze, but the bulk of the damage to the home was contained to the garage.
Francis was able to have a bit of a sense of humor about the ordeal, saying he’s fought bigger fires than this “little chicken fire,” and the good news is he is OK.
The official cause of the fire remains under investigation. Authorities do not suspect foul play.