Fire Destroys Flagler Beach Home on Ocean Palm Drive Just as Young Family Was Completing Renovations

An early-morning fire destroyed a single-family house on Ocean Palm Drive in Flagler Beach today. The house was not occupied, as it was under renovation. There were no injuries, despite a partial roof collapse while firefighters were inside fighting the flames.

The fire took place at 222 Ocean Palm Drive. Laura Tornelli took ownership of the house in late March from a close relative, long-time owner and resident Walter Kunz. The renovation was nearly complete, and Tornelli’s young family was planning to move in next month, Flagler Beach Fire Chief Stephen Cox said.

The 2,200-square-foot house—with a market value of $451,500, according to the property appraiser’s office—is a loss.

The cause of the fire is not known. “We don’t have an exact origin or cause, but after talking with the state fire marshal,” Cox said, “there were no signs of foul play and it appeared to be accidental.”

Ocean Palm Drive runs along three sides of the Ocean Palm Golf Course at the south end of Flagler Beach, on the barrier island. The house is one lot away from the Intracoastal Waterway. Flagler County’s 911 dispatch center received a call from a neighbor across the street at 6:09 a.m., reporting flames shooting out of the roof.

“Flagler Beach Fire Engine 11 arrived on scene to find a single-story residential structure with flames through the roof and across the entire structure,” Cox said. Firefighters from the Palm Coast Fire Department, Flagler County Fire Rescue, and the Volusia County Fire Department all responded. “Their first priority was to protect the exposure to the north of the house. There were two adjacent neighbors.”

Firefighters conducted a search to ensure no people or pets were inside. “While they were in the interior fighting the fire, they had a drastic change in conditions,” Cox said. “We had compromised structural integrity with a roof collapse in the corner, which forced us to evacuate our firefighters.”

The southwest corner of the roof partially collapsed at 6:37 a.m. while four or five firefighters were inside. They evacuated safely, and there were no injuries.

Neighboring houses did not have to be evacuated. The fire was under control at 6:50 a.m. and firefighters cleared the scene at 10 a.m. The homeowners met the firefighters at the scene, and the property was turned back over to the family in mid-morning.

“Some things were to our disadvantage,” Cox said. “Obviously it happened early in the morning so it was well involved when the call came in, and the sea breeze kicked in,” fanning the flames.