JACKSONVILLE, Fla. —
JFRD says that crews responded to the fire off of Art Museum Drive around 4:18 a.m. They say that two adults were transported to a hospital, where one later died.
The fire displaced seven adults and five children, according to JFRD.
Neighbors told Action News Jax that there were two families directly impacted. One of those is the Martinez family.
Alexandra Martinez says she was one of three children in the apartment where the fire took place. She’s nine years old with two younger siblings — one is six, and the other is just three months old.
Although the State Fire Marshal is still investigating the cause of the fire, Alexandra says the fire started in the kitchen. She says her mother, Sandra, woke her up, but there was still one man left inside.
She says that when her mother broke a window, she could hear the man calling for help.
“Two boys come and help him, but that was so hard, and then they say, ' Wake up, wake up,’ and he don’t wake up,” Alexandra said. “Then the two of them come right down to outside, and the boy dies.”
She says that one of the people who tried to help the man inside was Robert Leyte. He says he’s known the family for four years and lives in the same apartment complex.
“The lady, Sandra, she wake up yelling for help, and I was terrified,” Leyte said. “I was trying to save their life, but I could not do it.”
We are still working to confirm the identity of the man who lost his life with JFRD and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
Kim Bogart, the owner of the non-profit Kim’s Open Door, says she watched with the family as everything was destroyed. She says that she’s known the family for years.
“Right now, we really don’t know where they’re going to sleep tonight,” Bogart said. “They need housing, clothes, everything you can think of. They lost everything.”
At this time, the Martinez family has not made a GoFundMe of their own, but Bogart has done so on their behalf. To donate, click here.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
