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\u2019s Office investigated the cause.<\/p>\n
Kelly Manati, a cousin of the children\u2019s father, Gentian Manati, said the parents are struggling to accept that their children are gone.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThey can\u2019t believe that the kids are already dead,\u201d Kelly Manati said. \u201cThey think that when they come home, the kids are going to be home.\u201d<\/p>\n
The children who died were 11-year-old twins and their 2-year-old brother, Manati said.<\/p>\n
Their parents, Gentian Manati and his wife, Albana, survived the fire, along with the couple\u2019s two other children.<\/p>\n
\u201cLosing three kids in one night and being without a house, life will change,\u201d Kelly Manati said. \u201cHis life is, of course, going to be changed forever.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kelly Manati said he went to the hospital after learning about the fire and spoke with family members who survived.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s heartbreaking when you hear, especially a cousin,\u201d he said. \u201cYou try not to be emotional, but you cannot stop it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe walked down, he saw some fire coming from downstairs, tried to put the fire down, but it was impossible,\u201d Kelly Manati said.<\/p>\n
The family said the fire grew quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of smoke, the lights went out, the power went out, so it was hard to see where everybody was,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
According to Kelly Manati, one of the surviving children, 9, broke a window as neighbors rushed to help. He said the children\u2019s mother escaped through the window and passed her 2-month-old baby to people below.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe twins and the 2-year-old, they were the ones that were left behind,\u201d he said. \u201cThe rest was saved by jumping from the window.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the parents recover, relatives are working through funeral arrangements, housing and other immediate needs.<\/p>\n