A man escaped a fiery trailer blaze on Pine Island after neighbors say he jumped into a nearby canal after sustaining burns.
Pine Island resident Michelle Beck lives directly in front of the trailer. She said she heard it all.
"I was inside, heard an explosion, and then, like, it sounded like gunfire, almost like a pop," she said. "I was like, what was that? Then, I heard a bunch of little pops, and so I came outside and just saw the whole thing was on fire."
That was not the worst of it. She said her neighbor, James, was inside.
"He told me that he went to light a cigarette, and it just went 'boom.'" she said. "He thinks that he ran out of the trailer. I have a feeling it was more like he was probably pushed out of the trailer."
Disoriented and injured, Beck said James jumped right into the canal.
Beck said neighbors rushed to his aid, helping him out of the water and providing dry clothes before emergency crews arrived.
"He was very shook up and he was just — and of course, he's soaking wet. So, we had to go in and grab him some dry clothes and things, too," Beck said.
Matlacha/Pine Island Fire Control District said a man was transported to a local hospital for treatment. They say the fire left the trailer completely destroyed.
The cause is still under investigation.
This close-knit community is already rallying around the victim, who lost all of his belongings just days before Christmas.
Updates on the investigation and relief efforts will be provided as more information becomes available.