ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A historic St. Augustine mansion caught fire Thursday afternoon, according to the St. Augustine Fire Department.
The house, at 80 Water St., was built in the 1880s, originally owned by John Dismukes, a confederate veteran.
Firefighters were able to quickly put the fire out.
"Thankfully, no injuries were reported, and we are relieved that this piece of St. Augustine's rich history has been preserved," SAFD said in a Facebook post.
SAFD says the damage is "consistent" with a lightning strike and eyewitnesses corroborated reports of a lightning strike.
The Queen Anne–style home, built by banker and Confederate veteran John Dismukes, is the oldest surviving brick residence in the Abbott Tract Historic District. Over the decades, it’s been home to some of the city’s m