Historic St. Augustine mansion catches fire, potentially by lightning

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — A historic St. Augustine mansion caught fire Thursday afternoon, according to the St. Augustine Fire Department.

The house, at 80 Water Street, 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.