A fire Thursday afternoon destroyed the Eaton House, a home dating back to the late 1800s that was the first in the city to make the historic preservation board's list.

  • Fire broke out a home on Riverview Drive in Melbourne
  • Woman was found inside the home; firefighters pulled her out
  • No word yet on the cause of the fire

Fire crews from four agencies battled the blaze engulfing the three-story home in the 1800 block of Riverview Drive, overlooking a bluff on the Indian River near downtown Melbourne.

Dozens of firefighters from Melbourne, Palm Bay, Brevard County and neighboring Indialantic working in tandem to battle the fast moving fire, which was aided by wind.

Dean Hysong works across the street and at first smelled light smoke.

"We saw all the black smoke, and it was it," he tells us.

He and his coworkers hosed down their building and cars as embers floated in the air.

"We were scared for anyone who was in there, we didn't want anyone to be in there," Hysong said.

Officials say a woman was sleeping in a back bedroom when the fire broke out. A police officer was driving by and saw the smoke, then he and another officer were able to get inside and pull her to safety. The woman will be OK, officials said.

The Red Cross in on the scene helping the displaced tenants. Two firefighters were treated for minor heat exhaustion.

The State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the cause of the fire.