A 72-year-old woman was killed in a house fire early this morning in the Auburndale area.
- Celeste VanGordner, 72, died Tuesday
- Fire consumed her Auburndale mobile home around 4:30 a.m.
- Three members of her family made it out safely
Family members said the fire, located at 2416 Winter Ridge Drive, broke out around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday in the kitchen and smoke started to fill the house. Three adults made it out of the house, but Celeste VanGordner, 72, did not.
“We were in bed sleeping," said Michelle Gibson, who lives at the home with her boyfriend Larry VanGordner. "I woke up to Larry’s dad screaming for Larry, and instead it woke me up."
Authorities said when firefighters arrived, about 75 percent of the structure was engulfed in flames.
Larry VanGordner said he could hear his mother Celeste telling him she couldn’t breathe because of the smoke. He said he punched a hole in his mother’s bedroom window so the smoke could escape.
Family members said Celeste was severely obese and couldn’t get out of bed. They believe her weight doomed her.
“I tried," saod VanGordner. "I wish I would have shoved the bed through the wall and got her outside."
Two pets also perished in the flames, including a dog named Brutus -- who seemed to care for Celeste.
“But with mom’s condition he stayed closer to her,” said girlfriend Gibson. “And when all the commotion was going on he ran into her room and got up under the bed with her.”
VanGordner said he believes the fire may have been the result of an electrical problem. The sheriff’s office and Bureau of Fires and Arson are investigating the fire.