LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Authorities are continuing their investigation into the cause of a late Tuesday night fire at a Clearlake apartment complex that left one person dead.
The fire occurred at Olympic Villa Apartments, located at 14580 Olympic Drive, according to radio traffic during the incident.
Clearlake Police Chief Andrew White told Lake County News that the person who died is believed to be a female in her late 60s.
The Clearlake Police said its officers and firefighters with the Lake County Fire Protection District responded to the fire at 10:44 p.m. Tuesday.
The initial reports said there was a possible occupant trapped by the fire inside of the building.
The first firefighters on scene reported heavy fire showing from the building, with dispatch requesting additional help from other fire districts around the lake, including Cal Fire, Kelseyville Fire and Lakeport Fire, based on radio reports.
Police said one of the apartments was engulfed in fire, which was beginning to spread to adjacent areas.
The reporting party advised responding officers that he could hear a female yelling from inside of the residence, but the yelling had stopped. Entry into the apartment was attempted, but due to the extreme heat and spreading fire limited entry by personnel was achieved, police said.
While conducting fire suppression to the apartment, police said fire personnel discovered the deceased woman inside.
A fire investigator from the Lake County Fire Protection District was requested to respond to the scene. Along with the fire investigator, officers from the Clearlake Police Department have begun conducting an investigation regarding the death of the unidentified person and the cause of the fire.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Coroner Division personnel responded to the scene to recover the body of the fire victim, the police department said.
Scanner traffic indicated that firefighters remained on the scene working the fire until after 2 a.m. Wednesday.
As of Wednesday night, police said the cause of the fire had not been determined.
Additionally, the cause of death and identification of the deceased person has not been determined pending an autopsy to be scheduled at a later time, police said.
This investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is encouraged to contact Officer Jesus Loera at 707-994-8251, Extension 537.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Tuesday night Clearlake apartment fire kills one
- Elizabeth Larson
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