Boy staying home from school on a sick day dies in camper fire, authorities say

STARKE, Fla. (WCJB/Gray News) — A 13-year-old boy in Florida died in a house fire when he stayed home sick from school, officials said.

The fire broke out Tuesday morning at a camper in Bradford County.

The camper is now almost completely leveled.

Bradford County Sheriff’s Office officials said the 13-year-old who was home at the time appears to have died in the fire.

Video from a neighbor shows the camper engulfed in flames around 9:30 a.m. Heavy smoke was visible.

Fire rescue officials said it took them about five to 10 minutes to put out the fire, but that was not in time to save the 13-year-old.

The boy stayed home sick from school while his mother was working at the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. He was the only one unaccounted for, officials said.

Neighbor Miles Hudson said he was in shock when he walked outside this morning.

“This morning, I woke up with my mom freaking out. I didn’t know what she was talking about. She said something about a camper on fire, and my aunt lives next door, so I’m thinking maybe it’s her. I walk outside, look over, all I see is their camper engulfed in flames, smoke coming out the top. I don’t know. It was very scary,” Hudson said.

Hudson said he would see the residents around and that they are a very nice family, so the outcome is heartbreaking.

Fire Chief Ben Carter shared that same sentiment.

“It’s an absolute tragedy for this family; it’s a tragedy for this community. You know, it is an incredibly unfortunate circumstance. My heart is absolutely broken for this family. There are no words that can really truly capture the impact,” Carter said.

The fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire. The medical examiner is working to make an official identification of the body.