Couple Die in Fillmore House Fire

A local citrus rancher and his wife were killed in a late-night fire that gutted their home, authorities said Thursday.

Donald Armstrong, 58, and his wife Debra, 47, died in the fire that began about 11 p.m. Wednesday in the living room of their Ventura Street home, authorities said. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but authorities say they have ruled out arson.

County coroner’s officials said Debra Armstrong, who was sitting in a large chair or small couch in the living room, may have fallen asleep with a lighted cigarette.

“She is a known smoker,” said Craig Stevens, a senior deputy medical examiner. “The fire appears to have started in the immediate area around her.”

Relatives said she may have been exhausted after days of caring for an ailing grandmother, who died earlier this week, neighbors said.

Authorities said Donald Armstrong had collapsed by the back door during the fire. He was rushed to Santa Paula Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 12:10 a.m., authorities said.

Neighbors gathered outside the couple’s home early Thursday to talk about the tragedy.

“They were just hard-working, nice people,” said Owen Muchisky, who lives across the street. “It’s all very sad.”

Muchisky said he noticed the fire after he had stepped outside to smoke a cigarette.

“I saw yellow flickering coming from across the street,” Muchisky said. “Then I saw the front windows blow out, and I ran back home and called 911.” Muchisky said he ran back to the burning house and called out to his neighbors.

“But I didn’t get any response,” he said. “And I couldn’t go inside. The whole living room was already gone.”

Jerry Edmonds, another neighbor and a close friend of the couple, said he watched as firefighters pulled Donald Armstrong from the home and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

“I was hoping for the best,” Edmonds said. “He really wasn’t burned or anything. I watched them work on him for about 30 minutes. But I knew. . . . There was just too much smoke in there. I knew the smoke had him.”

Also killed in the fire were the couple’s two dogs.

While investigators combed through the house, relatives buried the dogs in the couple’s backyard.

The couple’s Spanish-style home was built by Donald Armstrong’s father, Newell. Neighbors said the couple had been married about five years.

Managing their 60 acres of citrus trees was a deep part of their life, neighbors said. Donald Armstrong took over the citrus business from his father. He sat on the boards of several agricultural organizations, including Sunkist Growers Inc. and Fillmore-Piru Citrus.

In their spare time the couple enjoyed riding their horses, and Donald Armstrong was an avid hunter, neighbors said.

“It’s a tragedy,” said Muchisky while looking at the blackened home and a front yard strewn with charred mattresses, lamps and other household belongings. “It’s a real tragedy.”