‘It’s heartbreaking’: Cousin describes grief after Mandarin townhome fire kills 3 children

The family says the children who died were two twins and their younger 2-year-old brother.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A family is grieving after three children died in a townhome fire Wednesday morning in Mandarin.

The fire broke out at a home off Windergate Drive near Old St. Augustine Road. Police tape remained outside the home Thursday as the State Fire Marshal’s Office investigated the cause.

Kelly Manati, a cousin of the children’s father, Gentian Manati, said the parents are struggling to accept that their children are gone.

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“They can’t believe that the kids are already dead,” Kelly Manati said. “They think that when they come home, the kids are going to be home.”

The children who died were 11-year-old twins and their 2-year-old brother, Manati said.

Their parents, Gentian Manati and his wife, Albana, survived the fire, along with the couple’s two other children.

“Losing three kids in one night and being without a house, life will change,” Kelly Manati said. “His life is, of course, going to be changed forever.”

Kelly Manati said he went to the hospital after learning about the fire and spoke with family members who survived.

“It’s heartbreaking when you hear, especially a cousin,” he said. “You try not to be emotional, but you cannot stop it.”

Kelly Manati said his cousin told him he woke up at about 5 a.m. Wednesday after hearing a noise downstairs. When he went downstairs, Manati said, he saw flames.

“He walked down, he saw some fire coming from downstairs, tried to put the fire down, but it was impossible,” Kelly Manati said.

The family said the fire grew quickly.

“A lot of smoke, the lights went out, the power went out, so it was hard to see where everybody was,” he said.

According to Kelly Manati, one of the surviving children, 9, broke a window as neighbors rushed to help. He said the children’s mother escaped through the window and passed her 2-month-old baby to people below.

“The twins and the 2-year-old, they were the ones that were left behind,” he said. “The rest was saved by jumping from the window.”

As the parents recover, relatives are working through funeral arrangements, housing and other immediate needs.

A fundraiser for the family has raised more than $200,000, with donations coming from the Jacksonville area and Albania. You can find more here.

“Everybody was ready to help, no hesitation,” Kelly Manati said. “Whatever you need.”

He said the family is grateful for the support.

“From the bottom of my heart, and from him too, from Gentian, he’ll appreciate it,” he said.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.