JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The smell of smoke was still in the air after multiple apartments were left completely scorched on Jacksonville’s Westside Sunday morning.
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Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department responded to the blaze at around 6 a.m.
Mike Austin lives just around the corner from the complex at Jammes Road and San Juan Avenue where it all went down.
“I was out on my back porch at like 6 a.m., and I heard every fire truck, you know, you can tell by the sirens or whatever, that was dispatched to this area,” recalled Austin. “And I’m like, ‘What’s going on? It must be a fire.’”
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According to JFRD, 6 units were affected and 9 families were displaced due to the fire, although there were luckily no injuries.
Virgil Williams lives right below where that fire raged on Sunday morning and told Action News Jax his apartment was flooded during the efforts to douse the flames.
“It’s a holiday weekend. Nobody’s really accessible, so that’s not really the most helpful thing to be going through,” explained Williams. “Plus, my son’s here for the weekend, so it’s kind of hard too. He’s not really understanding the full magnitude of what’s going on. He’s still trying to be a kid.”
Now, with Williams’ apartment flooded and multiple families having to find a new place to live this holiday weekend, it’s left quite the headache.
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However, at the end of the day, the residents at the complex tell Action News Jax the important thing is that nobody was hurt.
“I was scared and nervous for my sons and my safety,” explained Williams.
“Be mindful of your surroundings. Watch your surroundings and, you know, just be mindful and be safe,” said Perry Langston, who lives just a few doors down from where the fire happened.
According to residents at the complex, the Red Cross is working to take care of those affected at this time while the State Fire Marshall continues to investigate what caused the destructive fire.
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