Man killed in Volusia County house fire, deputies say

DELTONA, Fla. - A man is dead following an early morning fire in Volusia County on Sunday, authorities said.

The Volusia Sheriff's Office said they received a 911 call just after 1 a.m. reporting a fire at a home on Howland Boulevard in Deltona.

Deltona firefighters arrived at the home and removed a 74-year-old man they found unresponsive in a bathroom.

Despite the crew's life-saving measures, the man was pronounced dead at the scene shortly before 2 a.m., officials said.

Tom De Marco, who lives across the street, told FOX 35 News the fire woke people in his house.

"I fell asleep on the couch watching TV. My granddaughter woke me up, she says, ‘papa, I heard a big explosion’"! 

His granddaughter, Mia Colon, recorded a video of crews working to put out the flames.

"They were huge! she said, "When we first came out here, they were really big, there was a lot of smoke. It took a while for them to get it down, maybe two hours, to like 3:40."

Neighbor Jean Deans said this was the first time they'd seen anything like this in their quiet community. "It's very quiet, people don't usually socialize, nothing goes on, nobody makes a lot of noise. It's a quiet place."

Investigators did not find any obvious signs of foul play or suspicious circumstances. 

The state fire marshal is investigating the cause of the blaze.