DELTONA, Fla. — Deputies in Volusia County said a woman in her 80s died when her home caught fire on Christmas night.
“It’s uh a sad tragedy,” said one of her neighbors. “We all cared for her genuinely.”
The fire occurred Christmas night at a home on Gregory Drive in Deltona.
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After battling the blaze, firefighters were able to put out the flames and later discovered the woman dead inside the home.
Officials said the woman, who was in her 80s, was the only person inside the home during the fire.
Investigators were at the scene for hours on Monday, trying to determine the cause of the fire.
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Firefighters called the fire a challenge due to everything inside the home.
Neighbors told Channel 9 that they would meet her outside to give her food and water because the inside of the home was filled with stuff from top to bottom.
Neighbors called the woman who lived inside Ms. Carol. They said her family lived far away and Ms. Carol had her own struggles inside her home.
Read: Elderly woman found dead after Christmas night house fire in Deltona
“I would take her to the grocery store to get the essentials with food and neighbors would bring her plates,” said Amanda Hammond.
Deltona Fire Chief Bill Snyder told Channel 9 that when crews arrived the flames were coming out the roof, front porch and windows on one of the coldest nights of the year when everyone was trying to stay warm.
Read: Marion County Fire Rescue battles back-to-back building fires on Christmas Day
Hammond and Snyder told Channel 9 that code enforcement had been to the home weeks prior.
Neighbors said there’s no way Ms. Carol would have been able to get out of the house if there was a fire.
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