The body of a woman was discovered inside a burning home in Lake View Terrace by Los Angeles firefighters early Sunday morning.
LAFD crews responded to the 11500 block of Kismet Avenue at about 3:41 a.m. after a neighbor called 911 to report the fire and fear that two people were trapped inside the home, according to LAFD spokesperson Brian Humphrey.
An adult man who was later determined to have been staying at a nearby recreational vehicle escaped unharmed but told firefighters that his elderly mother was trapped inside the burning home, LAFD said.
Firefighters were quick to tackle the flames and simultaneously searched the 1,256 square-foot home, which was filled with excessive personal storage, according to Humphrey. Eventually, crews located the woman who was pronounced dead at the scene.
A positive identification as well as the cause and manner of death will be determined by the Los Angeles County coroner.
No other injuries were reported.
U.S. & World
Thirty-eight firefighters were able to confine the fire to the home and fully extinguish the flames in approximately 33 minutes.
LAFD says that firefighters found no evidence of functional smoke alarms in the home as required by law and that the 62-year-old building was not equipped with optional residential fire sprinklers.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
