Elderly Woman Killed In House Fire In La Mesa Area

LA MESA, CA — Authorities were investigating a deadly fire that killed an elderly woman over the weekend in eastern San Diego County.

The fire broke out around 12:15 p.m. Saturday in the 9100 block of Lavell Street in the unincorporated area of La Mesa, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

After receiving calls about smoke coming from behind a house on Lavell Street, sheriff's deputies arrived and found the house on fire and a woman who had escaped the flames. Deputies tried to rescue another woman who was trapped upstairs, but they were pushed back by smoke and flames, sheriff's Sgt. Anthony Portillo said.

Firefighters found the elderly woman dead inside the home, Portillo said.

The woman who escaped the fire was identified as the granddaughter of the victim. She was treated at the scene and released, Portillo said. No deputies or firefighters were injured.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office will identify the victim and determine the cause and manner of death once her family has been notified.

The sheriff's Bomb and Arson Unit was investigating the origin and cause of the fire.