​Elderly Woman Killed In Santee House Fire ID'd

SANTEE, CA — Authorities Wednesday publicly identified a woman killed after a fire ripped through her Santee home.

The blaze sparked around 2 p.m. Oct. 8 at a house in the 10000 block of Ashdale Lane, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. When deputies and firefighters arrived, a man standing outside told them that his wife, 80-year-old Donna Mathews, was still inside the home, which was engulfed in flames.

"Firefighters forced entrance into the home and began to extinguish the fire," officials said. "The decedent was located and removed from the residence where advanced cardiac life support measures were initiated."

Mathews was taken to UCSD Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office. Officials determined she died of smoke inhalation.