A house went up in flames on County Road 44-A in Eustis Monday afternoon. While fighting the fire, crews found a body inside.

  • House in Lake County caught fire at about 1:17 p.m. Monday
  • 1 person found dead inside the home after firefighters arrived
  • The investigation is ongoing, officials said

"It's truly a tragedy," said Carlos Hernandez, who lives in the same block.

Officials have not released details on the victim, but Hernandez said an elderly man lived inside the home.

"He was a very nice person. He seemed to take care of his place. I know he was an animal lover. He had a lot of animals, a lot of goats on the property,” Hernandez explained. “So I knew he was a quiet guy, older, so more to himself but overall a nice person, always waving when we drove by-- a real cool guy."

We're told the alarm went off at around 1 p.m. and firefighters got on scene just minutes later.

Firefighters encountered heavy smoke coming from the home when they arrived.

Hernandez just hopes there wasn't any foul play involved. "I hope it wasn't intentional, like someone didn't intentionally do it to him," he said. 

The Lake County Fire Marshal is  investigating, along with the State Fire Marshal's Office and the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

No additional information about the fire or the person's death have been released.


(Lake County Fire Rescue)