A wind-driven house fire in the northeast San Fernando Valley claimed the life of a woman Wednesday afternoon.

The Los Angeles Fire Department was summoned at 3:16 PM on October 30, 2019 to 11330 Elkwood Street in Sun Valley, where firefighters arrived swiftly to discover heavy smoke billowing from a one story residence, being fanned by a fierce Santa Ana Wind.  

As LAFD responders quickly forced entry at the front door, it became evident that the 1,569 square-foot building had been subtly subdivided into a residential duplex. Determining the fire was instead within a tiny residence at the side of the structure, firefighters made entry there to discover a lifeless adult female just inside the door. Pulled from the premise as the fire attack ensued, the woman proved to be beyond medical help and was determined dead at the scene. 

The first arrivig twenty firefighters under the command of Battalion Chief Roy Paige skilfully confined the fire to the segmented side portion of the structure, fully extinguishing flames in just 21 minutes. No other injuries were reported. 

Due to fire damage, the presence of a smoke alarm and its functional status at the time of the fire could not be immediately determined. No part of the structure was equipped with optional residential fire sprinklers. 

Volunteers from the Mayor's Crisis Response Team came to the scene to assist neighbors and witnesses, while Inspectors from the City's Department of Building & Safety came to examine for code compliance and determine the building's overall habitabilty. 

A positive identification of the dead woman, as well as the cause, time and manner of her death will be determined by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner. 

Monetary loss from the fire is still being tabulated. The cause of the blaze remains under active investigation. 

Dispatched LAFD Units: E77  T89  E481  BC10  RA889  RA89  RA60  EM14  AR2  PI3  AR17  AR11  AR21