Family recovering, seeking help after siblings die from mobile-home fire in Northwest Jacksonville

JACKAONVILLE, Fla. — Ashes and rubble are all that remain after a fire destroyed a family’s home, killing two siblings and another fighting for his life.

It happened in Northwest Jacksonville on Cranbrooke Court. Guy Kowalchick drove down from Delaware after hearing his siblings lost their lives.

“It’s insane, I sometimes wonder if I’m really doing this,” he said. “Is this really happening?”

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Kowalchick’s sister, Joanne Moore, was killed, and his brother Chris died after being taken off life support two days ago; his brother Paul is still in the hospital.

“Joanne promised my mother she would take care of the boys, and she spent her life doing it,” he said. “My brother Chris, from what we’ve been able to figure out, he carried Paul out first then he went back in for Joanne, and he didn’t make it, but he tried.”

Kowalchick says Joanne took care of their brothers who lived off disability.

“She was a mountain of a woman; you couldn’t stop her if she put her mind to something, she just flat kicked in doors to get stuff done,” Kowalchick described his sister. “And her heart….. it was this big.”

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How the fire started remains unclear and it’s being investigated.

Kowalchick said his brother Paul is slowly recovering.

“I just got back from seeing him. He responded to me by blinking his eyes, I asked him things only he could tell me,” he said. “It made everything in the past seven days a little bit easier.”

Now the focus is getting Paul the help he needs.

“I don’t know how I can get the power of an attorney; I don’t know how I can take care of his affairs,” he said.

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While there’s a long road ahead, Kowalchick said he’s thankful for the community.

“To everybody who has contributed, everybody who has a called, to everybody who stopped by the house. Thank you from the bottom of my family’s heart. Thank you for the help and thank you for the care,” he said.

You can help the Kowalchick family by clicking here.

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