[The homeowner] got out safely, but firefighters had trouble getting in. Crews quickly learned the home was filled with pile after pile of books, magazines and clothes even in the hallways, which made it tough to get to the fire in the attic from inside.

Cluttered Oceanfront Home Creates Firefighting Problems

POSTED: 11:43 am EST February 19, 2007 UPDATED: 12:28 pm EST
February 19, 2007 ORMOND BEACH, Fla. --

An Ormond Beach oceanfront house looked like a maze of mirrors inside for firefighters trying to put out a destructive fire. That was only one renovation in the Ocean Shore Boulevard home that made it a nightmare for firefighters. It will be hours before the fire is completely out, because of the difficulty firefighters have had tackling the flames.

Late Monday morning, smoke was still coming out of the house. Locked hurricane shutters, a tricky roof and clutter inside made the home a real challenge for crews. The black billowing smoke poured out of the gutted home for hours after the fire started at the house just before 4:00am.

The oceanfront house is well hidden on all sides by brush and trees, even from the beach. Sheri Ann Small, who has lived at the home since the '60s, was in the house when the fire broke out. The shy, 60-year-old, who neighbors said always keeps to herself, shared what she remembered from the blur Monday morning. "I heard a loud bang, the door opening. I heard books falling over and thought it might be somebody intruding," she said. Small got out safely, but firefighters had trouble getting in.

Crews quickly learned the home was filled with pile after pile of books, magazines and clothes even in the hallways, which made it tough to get to the fire in the attic from inside. Several interior rooms also had glass doors. The reflections threw off firefighters, who thought they were seeing fire where there was none. "It's just very dangerous to put our people in a situation like that," said Chief Barry Baker, Ormond Beach Fire Department. "Where you thought things were open and you could see, you really couldn't." Firefighters poured as much water as they could on the home from a ladder truck. They couldn't get on the roof, because a pitched roof had been built over the old flat one, trapping the fire in that space and making it way too hot.

One other obstacle was locked hurricane shutters, which firefighters had to tear off to try to vent the home. There was no word on what caused the blaze, though the homeowner has her own theory. "The fire had started, perhaps electrical fire, over the bedroom area," Small said. The State Fire Marshal will visit the scene, but not until the fire is completely out. As for the homeowner, she said her insurance company dropped her coverage because of hurricane concerns. She still intends to rebuild with a smaller home on the property.

http://tinyurl.com/yuzky2