BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – The family of a mother and son killed in a residential fire Saturday morning in Mims believes an electrical spark caused it.
Dispatch recordings at about 9:30 a.m. Saturday reported the mobile home on Kingswood Drive was filling up with smoke. A dispatcher could be heard saying two people were still in the house, and there was propane in the building.
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“My wife heard an explosion,” neighbor Jimmy Palmatier said.
As neighbors and family members mourn the loss of lives, the State Fire Marshal’s office has the lead on confirming how the deadly fire started. The family of the victims believes it may have been due to an electrical issue.
“The only thing that I think it is — from what I’ve heard — is that it was an electrical pop that may have started the fire,” family member Richard Arbuckle said. “It obviously must have gone very quick.”
The state said on Monday its investigation is open and ongoing, but there are no additional details yet.
The family, meanwhile, is asking for donations to a GoFundMe account.
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The organizer shared a picture of whom the family said was the mother and son — Cari and Levi.
Arbuckle told News 6′s Treasure Roberts on Saturday that Cari and Levi are survived by the husband and father of the Rowan household.
“We just got to see them last week, and now to see this happen is totally unbelievable,” Arbuckle said. “I’m keeping my composure now, but I’ve done my crying, and I’ll do more.”