1 Killed, Several Injured In San Fernando Valley House Fire

PANORAMA CITY, CA — A woman was killed in a San Fernando Valley house fire, and three other people were hospitalized for smoke exposure Wednesday morning. A child was among the injured.

The blaze broke out around 8 a.m. in the 8000 block of North Matilija Avenue in the Panorama City neighborhood, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

"There are now a total of six patients from this fire: The adult female civilian who is deceased at scene; and five other civilians (including one child), all in fair condition," said LAFD spokesman Brian Humphrey.

"During an aggressive and well-coordinated fire attack, firefighters discovered an adult female, described by residents as mobility impaired, lifeless in a rear bedroom," he said in a written statement. "Two patients are declining ambulance transport, and three others are being taken to area hospitals by LAFD paramedics for treatment following exposure to smoke."

Information was not immediately available on the identity of the woman killed in the blaze. Investigators are working to determine how the blaze turned deadly so quickly.

The fire was extinguished in about 20 minutes, according to the fire department.

"The presence and functional status of smoke alarms at the time of the fire has yet to be determined," Humphrey said. "The home, built in 1949, was not equipped with optional residential fire sprinklers."

The cause of the blaze remained under investigation.