Family on vacation when Sea Colony home burns

A residential structure fire, believed to have started in a void between the second and third floors of a 3 1/2 story home in Sea Colony, had St Augustine and St Johns County firefighters tied up for almost an hour as they worked to contain the fire this afternoon.

First responders arrived on scene within minutes of the 9-1-1 call to find smoke showing from the roof and second story windows of the home located at 200 North Forest Dune Drive in St Augustine Beach.

Firefighters began an aggressive interior attack on the fire; then, once the fire was exposed, crews rapidly contained the flames keeping the majority of the fire damage contained to the interior void space between the floors.

St Johns County Fire Rescue public information officer Lt. Jeremy Robshaw informed local Historic City News reporters that the owners, Timothy L. and Julie F. Marlo, are on vacation. “They have been notified and are returning,” Robshaw said. Neighbors also confirmed that the homeowners were out of town on vacation and the home was unoccupied.

The 6893 square-foot home built in 2006, is listed for sale with Watson Realty St. Augustine Beach — asking $1,375,000. With homestead exemption, the taxable value of the property is only $735,333.

Officials at the scene, who remained to make sure flames were not rekindled, said that, due to the extended burn time prior to the fire being reported, significant smoke damage was sustained throughout the home — rendering it uninhabitable until repairs are made. Robshaw says investigators are estimating the cost of damages to be about $250,000.

There were no injuries reported during this incident and the cause of the fire remains under investigation by St Johns County Fire Rescue.