Jacksonville family displaced after fire severely damages Westside home
Marcus manages the day-to-day editorial workflow across all brands, coordinating coverage assignments and ensuring editorial standards are met. He previously served as city editor at the Pioneer Press and holds a degree in Political Science from Carleton College.
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A Jacksonville family is searching for a path forward after a house fire left their Westside home severely damaged and the family of five temporarily displaced.From the outside, the home on Ramona Boulevard appears intact. But inside, the destruction tells a very different story.“This one’s our bedroom, and this one’s our daughter’s room, and it’s covered in black soot,” homeowner Michael Flye said. “It’s like walking around in a chimney.”Flye walked News4JAX through the damage, showing room after room consumed by fire and soot, including the back of the home, where little remained.“And back over here. That’s just what’s left of the back side,” Flye said. “Completely gone, obliterated.”Flye says the fire broke out the morning of Oct. 21, when Flye’s wife, Elisabeth, brought groceries inside and set some on the stove. She stepped away briefly to use the bathroom and returned to find the kitchen engulfed in flames, which quickly spread through the house.“When she came back out to leave o