JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department says its firefighters were not aware a person was caught in a fire when they responded Tuesday night.
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A spokesperson for the department announced Wednesday night that they had originally been called out to a reported brush fire in the area just after 10 p.m. Tuesday night.
First responders did not find a brush fire, but were called out to the area again for a fire around 15 minutes later.
They discovered burning trash at 8225 Moncrief Dinsmore Road and extinguished it, before declaring the job done.
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Wednesday, JFRD learned that the fire was actually deadly.
A severely burnt body was discovered inside an old box truck at the address which firefighters had believed to be empty.
Officials say there was no indication anyone lived there, and they did not see him in the dark.
JFRD described the victim as a man who appeared to be in his 70s. They learned that he had reportedly lived inside the box truck for years.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s Homicide Unit began investigating the death along with the Bureau of Fire, Arson and Explosives, according to the fire department.
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