Trailer Caught on Fire
Published June 1st, 2012
By: Yaremi Farinas
Two people are fighting for their lives tonight after an explosion and fire started just outside of Starke last night.
"She said you better get home. She said the trailer is on fire," said Mary Helen Griffis.
The camper trailer was parked a couple feet away from Griffis' home.
She told us the victims who are both in their thirties, purchased the camper from her daughter.
"They bought the trailer when they got their income tax and they were to move it Sunday," said Griffis.
Last night at around 8, Griffis' son was mowing the fields when he noticed a fire coming from where the trailer was parked.
He immediately called 911.
Within minutes Starke fire fighters arrived on the scene.
"They found this travel trailer engulfed in flames and two adults critically burned as result of the fire," said Micheal Heeder from Bradford County's Emergency Management.
He told us both victims managed to find their way out of the inferno before help arrived.
"They were able to immediately begin medical care and were able to get them transported of the scene in a matter of moments," said Heeder.
While we were on the scene today we saw blood stains all over the porch, on a truck and even on Griffis' door.
Heeder said the trailer is made out this material which is very thin and burns very quickly. The fact that fire rescues made it on the scene five minutes after the call came in was one reason the fire didn't spread towards the house or the inside of the barn.
Griffis told us she believes if something like this would have happened a couple weeks ago, she might have not had a place to live.
"We wouldn't have had a barn and no home because it was so dry," said Griffis.
Andy Redding from the Florida State Fire Marshals told us he could not release the names of the victims.
As of this afternoon both remain in critical condition at Shands.
