Volusia County woman dies after Christmas night house fire

Victim, in her 80s, was found inside home on Gregory Drive

DELTONA, Fla. – A woman in her 80s was found dead inside a burning home near Deltona on Christmas night, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies were called to the home on Gregory Drive around 9 p.m. Sunday night.

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“Around 9 o’clock last night we responded to a residential structure fire that was heavily involved when we got here,” Deltona Fire Chief Bill Snyder said. “There was fire through the roof, fire through the back porch area, fire coming out of the front windows.”

According to a news release, the woman was the only person in the home. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

“We were able to knock it down and we were able to get inside and do a search of the building. Our guys made an aggressive attack on the structure, tried to knock it down, but there was heavy fire conditions,” Snyder said.

The woman was identified by the sheriff’s office as Carol Billings, 81.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.


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About the Author

Thomas Mates is a digital storyteller for News 6 and ClickOrlando.com. He also produces the podcast Florida Foodie. Thomas is originally from Northeastern Pennsylvania and worked in Portland, Oregon before moving to Central Florida in August 2018. He graduated from Temple University with a degree in Journalism in 2010.

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