Putnam County fire marshal says fridge in mobile home sparked electrical fire that killed 4 people, injured 2 others

Fire marshal says the home is a complete loss and there were no smoke detectors in the house

Images of the damage done to a home in Palatka following a fatal fire. (Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved.)

PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – According to a Putnam County fire marshal, burn patterns behind a refrigerator inside the mobile home that went up in flames on Monday show signs of an electrical fire that killed four people and injured two others.

Fire Marshal Clu Wright said the home is a complete loss, and there were no smoke detectors in the house.

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A 27-year-old mother died Wednesday after being hospitalized since Monday following a fire that killed three other people, including two brothers and a 4-year-old boy, in East Palatka.

Deputies said Carolina Gomez was one of three people transported to UF Health Shands Hospital Gainesville and treated for burn injuries from the house fire on Maryland Avenue.

Gomez’s death brings the total of deadly victims from the fire to four.

As of Thursday morning, her 18-month-old child remained in critical condition, and her 7-year-old daughter, Eliza, was in critical but stable condition.

One Putnam County firefighter was also injured in the fire but is expected to be OK, the Palatka Fire Department said.

Three other people who were in the home were taken to a hospital and treated for burn injuries, the sheriff’s office said.

Officials said a mobile home on North Maryland Avenue near McCormick Road caught fire and multiple people were rescued Monday morning.

The Hernandez family, who lived in the home, told News4JAX that six people were inside when the fire broke out.

Two brothers, Fernando and Enrique, along with a 4-year-old boy, Angel Enrique Hernandez, died in the fire, the family said.

(From left to right) Carolina and Eliza are in the hospital being treated for burns following a home fire. Angel Hernandez died in the fire (Courtesy Hernandez family) (Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved.)

The property owner told News4JAX she’s been renting to them for almost 10 years and is now trying to find someone who can help the family as they deal with this tragedy.

For those who would like to donate and help the family with their medical expenses, a GoFundMe can be found here.

Clarification:

Update May 12 at 6:27pm. Earlier we were told that the 1-year-old child had died. We have since learned it was the 4-year-old child who died and the 1-year-old is in the hospital.


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