JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There's still been no ID or cause of death of a man found dead Friday morning inside a home that caught fire near New Berlin Road on Jacksonville's Northside.
Firefighters and Jacksonville police were called to Tinya Court about 9 a.m. Friday. The residential area is off New Berlin Road east of Yellow Bluff Road.
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After the fire was put out, a man was found dead in a back bedroom of the home, police said. Neighbors said the man had lived at the home for 17 years with his wife. Police said she was not home at the time of the fire. Police said the fire was contained to the bedroom area, but the rest of the home sustained damage, as well.
The man's name and age have not been released, but his family appeared to be at the scene Friday afternoon and neighbors are talking about the tragic loss.
John Bloxham has lived on Tinya Court for 23 years. "This is a very quiet neighborhood," he said.
He said the fire caught him and other residents in the neighborhood by surprise.
"I was caught quite by surprise. I opened the garage door. I was taking some garbage out, and I saw all these cars and I was like, ‘What the heck is going on?!’ I didn’t hear anything," Bloxham said.
When he realized what happened, he said he was deeply saddened, because this is not the first tragedy suffered by the family.
"It was quite a few years ago, I think, their daughter was killed. She lived here and then after that, they moved in and now he’s gone," Bloxham said.
He remembers calling 911 when the first fire happened at the home.
"It was pretty much ablaze by the time the fire department got here," said Bloxham.
Now, he's remembering the family's daughter, killed years ago in the home, and the death of her father on Friday.
"He was a hard worker. He was a blaster and painter, and I was blaster and paint inspector for International Paints, so, we did cross paths quite a few times," Bloxham said. "It's a shame."
The Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of the fire, and Jacksonville homicide detectives are investigating the cause of the man's death.