Local
Westside family of five staying with relatives after Ramona Boulevard fire
A fire on Oct. 21 severely damaged the Jacksonville family’s home, leaving Michael and Elisabeth Flye and their three children temporarily displaced. The family says an initial review points to an electrical problem near the oven; the official cause had not been confirmed.
A Jacksonville family of five is staying with relatives after a fire severely damaged their home on Ramona Boulevard on Oct. 21.
Michael Flye said his wife, Elisabeth, had brought groceries into the house and set some on the stove that morning. When she returned from briefly stepping away, she found the kitchen in flames. The fire spread toward the dining and living rooms as she tried to get out, he said. Elisabeth escaped without injury.
Flye was at work when his wife called to tell him the house was burning. Inside, fire and heavy soot damaged rooms throughout the home, and much of the back of the house was destroyed. The family was unable to salvage many belongings, including items belonging to their son.
Elisabeth initially wondered whether a burner had been turned on accidentally while she put groceries on the stove. Flye said a later examination suggested the fire began behind the wall near the bottom of the oven and may have been electrical. The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department had not provided further information about the cause as of the family’s account.
The family is working to rebuild while staying with relatives. A GoFundMe organized to help them had raised more than $8,000. Flye said the family is grateful for community support as it faces the cost and work of starting over.