FLEMING ISLAND — On Dec. 13, Kyle Snyder was getting breakfast the day of his final exams when he received a notification from his thermostat app: the temperature inside his home was more than 400 …
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FLEMING ISLAND — On Dec. 13, Kyle Snyder was getting breakfast the day of his final exams when he received a notification from his thermostat app: the temperature inside his home was more than 400 degrees.
Snyder thought it was malfunctioning initially, but he checked a camera app and smoke had filled the house. He was only three minutes away from the home when things went wrong, about to meet with a study group.
“I’m sitting in line thinking, ‘There’s no way that’s possible,’” Snyder recalled. “I turned on the Ring camera and saw smoke. I heard the sirens on [County Road] 220. I put two and two together.”
Nearly everything was gone, including his dog Batman, who he rescued.
“The joy and happiness you gave me Batman was worth more than almost anything else on this Earth,” Snyder wrote on Facebook shortly after the fire. “I could honestly care less about my house and would rather it burn to the ground than lose you, bro.”
A nursing student at Florida State College at Jacksonville, he was offered help from classmates, and also neighbors he had never met. A GoFundMe has raised more than $4,200 in three weeks and another fundraising page, which is now closed, saw about $2,500 in donations.
“It’s been incredible,” he said. “You realize your community is bigger than you thought it was.”
Snyder said the fire engulfed the kitchen and spread to the living room, with the intense heat reaching most of the house. The cause is still under investigation.
While the home is structurally standing, it will require a complete rebuild. Snyder said he’s trying to remain optimistic.
“I’ll definitely continue with nursing. It’ll be different now, obviously with what happened,” he said. “Hopefully, things get better and there will be a good outcome.”
If there is a silver lining, it’s the support received from friends, family and strangers. He’ll have the opportunity to retake his final exam.
“I just want to say thank you for all the support I’ve gotten,” Snyder said. “That’s the main thing.”
The GoFundMe is available at gofundme.com/f/j8zdmr-help-kyle-rebuild-his-home, and it can be found when searching Fleming Island.