A predawn house fire in a neighborhood near Gillespie Field airport killed a woman Friday and displaced four other residents.
The blaze erupted for unknown reasons about 1 a.m. in the 1700 block of North First Street in the unincorporated Bostonia area, just north of El Cajon, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
Four residents who had escaped the flames told arriving emergency crews someone might still be inside.
“Firefighters conducted a rescue operation, entered the burning home and quickly began looking for the woman,” sheriff’s Detective Dan Wilson said. “They found her in a bedroom. She was severely burned and was pronounced dead at the scene.”
The identity of the woman, described as elderly, was not immediately available.
A firefighter was injured while fighting the blaze and transported to a local hospital.
“The fire was determined to have started in the bedroom where the victim was found,” Wilson said in the late morning. “The cause of the fire is still under investigation. However, (it) does not appear to be suspicious.”
The American Red Cross was called in to help the displaced residents arrange for emergency shelter.
Updated at 1:30 p.m. March 15, 2024
–City News Service