President Biden claimed on Wednesday that he once lost “a lot” in a house fire, however, fact-checkers have previously stated that the blaze occurred in the kitchen and was extinguished within 20 minutes.
The Daily Wire writes, Despite his effort to let Floridians know that he understood what they were going through, Biden’s story seemed at best a slight exaggeration when he took a moment to assess the damage left behind by Hurricane Ian, which caused high winds and dangerous storm surges in Fort Myers, Florida.
In November, Biden said his house had “burned down” and that first lady Jill Biden was inside at the time – but that she had gotten out safely.
According to The Washington Post’s fact-checker Glenn Kessler, the Biden home did experience a fire in 2004 – but it was nowhere near as large or destructive as the president suggested.
Kessler shared an Associated Press news report detailing the incident, tweeting, “Biden today: We ‘had a house burn down with my wife in it. She got out safely.’ 2004 AP news report: ‘A small fire that was contained to the kitchen … Jill reported the fire … The fire was under control in 20 minutes.’”
Firefighters were able to control the flames in the kitchen because they arrived on the scene early, according to Cranston Heights Fire Company Chief George Lamborn.
“Luckily, we got it pretty early. The fire was under control in 20 minutes,” Lamborn said.
According to ABC News, at least 120 people in Florida have died due to Hurricane Ian.
