2 dead, 1 hurt following fire at Westside house

The state fire marshal has been called out to investigate a house fire that left two people dead and another hurt Thursday morning on Jacksonville’s Westside.

Jacksonville Fire and Rescue crews responded to the burning home on McCargo Street South along Ingram Street at 3:30 a.m.

When they arrived, they initially pulled two people from the two-story home. JFRD crews then evacuated from the house due to the dangerous conditions.

“All I heard was the trucks going by,” said neighbor Ronald Yardbrough.”We see the stuff down there, see ashes all over the place,” he described.

Video from JFRD showed the home fully engulfed in flames.

A woman, who was pulled from the fire died at the scene, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and a man that was also inside the house was taken to a local hospital to be treated for his injuries. JFRD said he indicated that another person was inside the house.

Yardbrough has lived on Ingram Street for more than 30 years.

“The further down, the worse it gets down there,” he said, when referring to McCargo Street where the home involved in the blaze is located.

“We hear boomings, and stuff going on all the time,” he added.

As JFRD continued to put out the fire and search for another person, they found a man dead towards the back of the home.

“That’s horrible,” Yardbrough said. “I hate to hear that about anybody. It’s just sad.”

A cause of death for both is pending an autopsy.

During a news conference, JSO said neighbors called police after seeing the home go up in flames and were concerned that people were inside.

JSO said the house had no power. Detectives are working to contact the homeowner and determine whether the people inside the home were squatters.

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