Niceville, Public Safety

None Injured in Housefire on 22nd Street In Niceville

Firefighters from four services collaborated seamlessly to extinguish a house fire in Niceville. Chief Mayville urges increased vigilance during this season.

A short update on this story:

The woman whose home burned in the fire has asked for help from the community to get back on her feet. Here is the information to help her out.

“I really hate to do this. I don’t like being a charity case, but people keep asking. December 20 a freak electrical fire happened and we lost pretty much everything we own, including our home. Thank God we came home when we did and no one was inside the home. Both of our small dogs were rescued, just in time. My mother, my daughters and myself are left to start over from scratch. The house is a loss and everything in it is burned, smoke damaged, destroyed by water or sitting in insulation and sheetrock. The girls Christmas gifts. It’s trivial but it’s all gone. All of the baby books, photos, keepsakes, generations of ornaments hanging on our Christmas tree. Just like that it vanished. We are staying in a hotel thanks to Red Cross but we don’t have a home. Homeowners insurance is unfortunately astronomical around here and my mother is disabled on fixed income and I am a single mother. It’s not something we have been able to afford. Life has thrown us so many blows this year and God has helped us to overcome each and every obstacle. The support and outpouring of love from the community have been incredible. I have cried countless times today but it’s happy tears. We will rise from the ashes of this fire and start with a cleansed new beginning. It’s a horrible tragedy. Probably still haven’t processed it, but we are all ok and that’s what matters most. We are raising funds to replace EVERYTHING. Also to help with the expense of the hotel room. It’s going to be a mess to find us a new home and to get to the other side of this, but I trust it will happen. Thank you so much to everyone Family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, our Crosspoint family, Kids Discovery and the Red Cross have been phenomenal. Grateful that God knew the right people to put in our lives. Stay safe everyone and have a MerryChristmas ❤️ Thank you guys”

All four of the Niceville-area fire services responded Wednesday morning to a fire that started in the back room of a home on 22nd Street near Palm Avenue in Niceville.

The Fire Department put the fire out without injuring the firefighters or residents.

Fire Chief Tommy Mayville said the home had three adults and two children at home when they responded to the fire and added that they had just returned to the house when someone called 911.

The Chief says the investigation into what started the incident has just begun and more information about the cause of the fire would become apparent as the investigation progresses.

Niceville-Valparaiso Fire Department, East Niceville Fire Department, North Bay Fire Control District, and Eglin Air Force Base Fire Department responded to the incident and helped to put the fire out.

“We got departments and county stations and city stations all working together for one common goal: to service the citizens and make sure that they have a full complement of service.

Mayville added the department sees more fires this time of year – and residents need to increase their vigilance, not overpower their power outlets, and pay attention to open flames.

“Check those extension cords. Don’t overload circuits,” Mayville said; you don’t want to, you want to have an overloaded circuit.”

More About Local Fire Departments

The four fire departments are responsible for several different areas of town. People who live inside the city limits of Niceville or Valparaiso are (naturally) protected by the Niceville-Valparaiso Fire Department. The department is a joint operation of the two city’s firefighting efforts that merged under Chief Tommy Mayville five years ago, in 2018.

East Niceville Fire Department is responsible for all the property outside city limits between Valparaiso and the Rocky Bayou Bridge. This includes the eastern portion of the peninsula in Greater Niceville and the Rocky Bayou Estates Neighborhood.

North Bay Fire Control District protects the Bluewater Bay and Seminole Areas south and west of Spence Parkway, but east of the Rocky Bayou Bridge.

Eglin Air Force Base Fire Department has the most significant geographic footprint and consists of 10 stations spread around the entire geography of the Eglin Range.

Christopher Saul

Christopher Saul is the publisher of Mid Bay News. He graduated from Southern Methodist University's School of Journalism with a Convergance Journalism Degree and a Master's Degree in Public Administration From Florida State.