Woman, 64, dies in fire

An early morning fire in North Jacksonville left a 64-year-old woman dead and her brother critically injured, according to authorities and neighbors.

Fire crews were called about 6 a.m. to the home in the 9800 block of Bayview Avenue to battle the blaze, which was burning through the roof, officials said. The pair were pulled from the home just south of the Trout River with what the fire department called critical injuries, but by 10 a.m. the Sheriff's Office confirmed the woman had died.

The fire was called under control just before 7 a.m. by firefighters on the scene, and the state fire marshal was en route to assist in the investigation. The Sheriff's Office said it does not believe foul play was involved.

The fire marshal has not released any information on the fire's cause as of Monday afternoon.

Although officials have not yet identified the woman, a neighbor who has lived on Bayview Avenue for 25 years, said it was Diane Woodward Collins. Property records show Collins as the homeowner.

The neighbor, 78-year-old Danny Ford, said Collins and her brother, Billy Woodward, lived in the home together. Ford said he called Collins' daughter, who told him her mother had died and Woodward was taken to UF Health Gainesville where there's a burn center.

The brother and sister have lived on Bayview for about 13 years, according to Ford. Their white bulldog, Sissy, has been hiding under a wooden shed in the backyard, afraid from all the activity.

"I got up quarter to 7, and all the fire department, everything was already here," Ford said.

He said Collins' husband, Junior Collins, died from a heat attack two Christmases ago and that she and her brother lived alone in the home together since. Ford said he and Woodward look out for each other by watching each other's properties and pets.

"She has always taken care of him," Ford said. "They're tight."

Ford saw smoke flowing out of his neighbors' roof when he walked out of his home Monday morning. The living room, dining room, kitchen and two bedrooms are underneath the portion of the roof that is now black and crumbled.

"That's where Billy stayed," Ford said, "so I think it probably started there, looking at the top of the house.

Earl Futch, a 30-year resident, said some in the Trout River area saw smoke as they left for work. He said he heard about the fire from posts in the Trout River Neighborhood Facebook group. Several people commented on a post with photos of the house, describing waking up to the sound of sirens.

Futch said it is not uncommon for residents to see smoke lingering on the Trout River water, but he did not realize how close this fire had been.

Resident Perry Thompson said his next-door neighbors called authorities about the fire Monday morning. When Thompson woke up around 7 a.m., police cars blocked the street and a fire truck drove around the block in search of a hydrant, he said.

With no windows on the right side of his house, Thompson could not see any damage until he walked into his backyard as the top of the house is visible from his yard.

"If you go in my backyard, you can smell it even now you know," Thompson said.

Times-Union writer Dan Scanlan contributed to this report.

Angela DiMichele@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4697