Credit: WTLV
A person was found dead following a late-night house fire Friday in Jacksonville’s Springfield area, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
At approximately 11:30 p.m., JSO said patrol officers responded to the 1600 block of Ionia Street to assist Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department crews in controlling the fire.
After firefighters extinguished the blaze, JSO said an individual was found deceased inside the home.
According to JSO Sgt. Matthews, multiple witnesses were taken to the Police Memorial Building, where detectives interviewed them.
“At this time, the circumstances surrounding the incident and the cause of the fire are still being investigated,” Matthews told First Coast News. “And the involvement of foul play has not been excluded.”
Imogene Smith, who lives nearby, says she woke up to smoke and flames near her home.
“It was horrible, flames were just going real, real high and they were telling everybody get out,” said Smith.
Smith said the response was so intense and overwhelming, it felt unreal with numerous fire crews on scene.
“There were about 15 firetrucks, it was a whole bunch of them down on the street,” said Smith.
According to Sgt. Matthews, this is believed to be an isolated incident, and there is no ongoing threat to the community. JSO investigators are coordinating with the Medical Examiner’s Office, the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call JSO’s non-emergency number at 904-630-0500. To provide information anonymously, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.
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Source: firstcoastnewsnow
