Woman dies in Nassau County mobile home fire

Neighbors called 911, tried to save 56-year-old, but smoke was too thick

YULEE, Fla. – A  56-year-old woman died Saturday night after her Yulee mobile home caught fire, according to the Nassau County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies responding to a report of smoke coming from a home on Kyle Frasier Road just after 11 p.m. entered the house and found Angela Haas unconscious.

"There was heavy smoke inside. You could hardly see going from room to room. He did found the lady laying down in the kitchen area," Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said.

The deputy pulled Haas out, and rescue personnel immediately began CPR on Haas on the porch. She was taken to UF Health North in Jacksonville, but did not survive.

Haas' dog also died in the fire, but no one else was inside the house. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the state fire marshal, and the medical examiner will determine the cause of death. Sheriff's Office investigators said it appeared she was cooking and may have fallen asleep.

A neighbor out walking her dog called 911. 

"I saw smoke coming from underneath the roof, from the inside coming out," Rhonda Easter said. "I walked down there and I looked on the porch. I didn’t see anything so I came back and got my husband and our friend."

Her husband said the door handle was hot when they tried to get inside.

"I stepped in two steps and I couldn’t get in any further," Donnie Easter said. "It was very smoky. You couldn't see anything."

The neighbors described Haas' loss as heartbreaking.

"I thought a lot of Angela. She’s a good person," said Carl Kramer, who also tried to help save Haas. "She was a great person. She was sweet, sweet lady."