Coroner Identifies Fire Victim as Woodland Hills Resident

The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office has identified the body found in a Canoga Park apartment that was damaged in fire as 46-year-old Lauren Michelle Humphrey of Woodland Hills.

The victim was found sitting on the floor against a mattress in a small studio apartment on the third floor of a complex at 6331 N. Glade Ave., authorities said.

Results from an autopsy on the body have been deferred. Toxicology tests were ordered after the autopsy, Lt. Fred Corral of the coroner's office said. Such tests usually take up to six weeks to complete.

Crews were called to the complex at 2:37 p.m. Tuesday, said Erik Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department. He said 45 firefighters battled the blaze, which was extinguished in 13 minutes.

When firefighters arrived, black smoke billowed out of one unit of the large three-story complex, Scott said. Firefighters lifted hoses to the third floor and quickly extinguished the flames while others raised 35-foot-tall ladders and fought the fire from the roof, he said.

Humphrey's body was pulled out of the smoke-filled room, but it was too late to save her.

There were no obvious suspicious circumstances, authorities said.

Scott noted there were no security doors or window bars to impede the woman from escaping the blaze.

The 42-year-old apartment building was not equipped with residential fire sprinklers, and it was not immediately clear if the units were fitted with the legally required smoke alarms, Scott said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The dollar loss was estimated at $10,000 to the structure and $5,000 to the contents.