JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A week ago, the Manati family’s lives were changed forever.
Firefighters responded to a home off Windergate Drive near Old St. Augustine Road just after 5 a.m., arriving to find heavy fire on the first floor and heavy smoke on the second.
Two adults had already escaped with two children before crews arrived, but three children did not make it out.
10-year-old twins Damiano and Gabriel and 2-year-old Amel Manati were killed.
A cousin of the family spoke to News4JAX and shared the children’s obituaries, a heartbreaking reminder of the young lives taken far too soon.
The surviving family members have since been discharged from the hospital and are now recovering.
Neighbors have left flowers and gifts outside the home, a simple but powerful show of support for a family navigating unimaginable grief.
And the outpouring extends far beyond the neighborhood.
The family’s GoFundMe has surpassed $280,000 in donations, more than double what was reported just days ago.
Support is also coming from the place where the children’s father, Genti Manati, worked.
The San Jose Country Club says Genti was an extremely hardworking family man, and they are determined to help his family in any way they can.
General Manager Stephen Whitson says Genti’s first instinct, even after tragedy, was to think of others.
“When I called him and tried to talk to him, he’s like, ‘I’m sorry I missed work.’ I’m like, he shouldn’t even say that. But he’s just a really, really hardworking guy. I think he was the only one working in his family and taking care of five kids. All he talked about was his kids,” Whitson said. “He’s been here for about three years. Great guy. Always the hardest-working guy in the kitchen. We’ve loved having him here. And we’re devastated about what happened,” he added.
The country club has a fund called the Lion’s Den Foundation, designed to help employees through scholarships and times of need.
After the fire, management says they immediately sent financial advisors to the family and began reaching out to Habitat for Humanity in hopes of helping with future housing.
The door, Whitson says, is always open if Genti is ready to return.
“I would love to have him back. That’s going to be up to him and the family. And obviously there’s going to be some time for healing, and we want to make sure that he’s taken care of during that time,” Whitson said.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Homicide Unit are still investigating the cause of the fire.
No cause has been determined at this time.
Due to overwhelming support, the family has set up an additional way to donate directly. Monetary donations can be placed in an envelope and dropped off at:
6260 Dupont Station Court, Suite A Jacksonville, FL 32217
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