PALM BAY, Fla. – One person is dead following a house fire that broke out at a home in Palm Bay, which police are calling a homicide.
Firefighters responded just after midnight Tuesday to the home along Balue Lane SE.
Video from the scene showed a large law enforcement and firefighter response. A crime scene investigation van was among several fire rescue units in the neighborhood.
Palm Bay police said four people were taken to the hospital, two of whom were severely injured and two others who were treated for smoke inhalation.
Police said the two who were severely injured, a brother and sister, were airlifted to an Orlando hospital.
On Thursday, police said the woman — 67-year-old Louella Mitchell — died, and her 65-year-old brother, Mitchell Henry, was still in critical condition.
Yvonne Millus, a neighbor, told News 6 she was awakened by her dog when the fire broke out.
“I let him (dog) out the back and I see flames in the backyard. Big, huge flames and I thought, ‘Oh my God, there’s a fire.’ So, I called 911″ Millus said. “... It was scary, it’s just frightening. I thought the whole woods was on fire, but it wasn’t.”
Millus said the flames were so “horrendous” that she hosed down her roof to try and protect her property.
“These were my neighbors. I was just shocked. Shocked and surprised and thought something like this, I’ve never seen so close to home,” she said. “... Hopefully they get some answers and find out what’s going on.”
Police said the cause of the fire is being investigated by the state fire marshal and they are determining a motive.
“After several interviews and a review of the evidence, this incident is being investigated as a homicide. We want to assure the community that this was an isolated incident and that there is no threat to the community,” police said.
