Created: 8/12/2009 3:57:44 PM 
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Fire officials say a massive fire that destroyed a historical home started when a contractor was removing paint with a heating tool.
The historic home on Ortega Boulevard was worth more than a million dollars, according to the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department (JFRD). It is considered a total loss, said JFRD.
The Ortega home was known as Bettes Estate, according the Jacksonville Historical Society.
It burned out of control for about two hours. Flames could be seen shooting out of the top level of the wooden home on Wednesday afternoon.
"It's just very sad to see this bit of history burn like this," said Duncan Sawyer, a local history enthusiast and photographer.
Local historians said the house was almost 100 years old. However, the property and surrounding area was known as Sadler's Plantation in the 1820s, according the Jacksonville Historical Society.
"Everybody knows this house," said Bronwen Krause, who grew up next door. "I just remember playing in this front yard when I was a kid."
The Jacksonville Historical Society said the loss is a shame for the city because it is considered one of the top historical residences of the area.
"This is one of the older homes in the Ortega area dating to 1912, 1913, designed by notable architects in the city's history," said Emily Retherford Lisska, Executive Director for the Jacksonville Historical Society.
Retherford Lisska said Bettes Estate was built for a local pharmacist named Charles C. Bettes.
On Wednesday evening, the historic structure was destroyed. However, the owners tried to salvage what they could, and plucked dripping wet portraits from the first floor of the house.
"From the very onset, firefighters never really had a fighting chance," said JFRD Spokesperson Tom Francis.
Francis said the fire spread quickly and took more than 60 firefighters to control it. "It's heart breaking," said Sawyer, who watched with dozens of neighbors from the blocked off street.
Sawyer showed First Coast News pictures she took inside the home in the 1970s. She said the more than 5,000 square foot estate had beautiful staircases and polished, wooden floors.
Many people First Coast News spoke with hope the estate can somehow be rebuilt or restored.
The owner was home when the fire started, but got out safely. JFRD said he is the person who called 911. The owner declined on camera comment.
While firefighters worked to put out the blaze, some neighbors said they were concerned about the water pressure from fire hydrants. Francis said everything was working properly.
"When that building is so far along in the fire load process, as it was when we got here, in other words requiring big water for a big fire, it becomes a problem with the hydrants. The topography we are looking at suddenly becomes an obstacle," said Francis, referring to the large lawn that separates the home and the nearest fire hydrant.
He went on to say firefighters "courageously" tried to save the home by battling it inside the house.
However, the fire was too intense and they had to resort to putting the fire out from the outside, Francis said.
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