Feb. 08 -- Los Angeles Fire Department arson investigators were on scene in South L.A. early Saturday morning at a one-story home that caught fire and claimed the life of an 98-year-old woman.
The fire in the 200 block of East 47th Place in the South Park neighborhood broke out at about 3:39 a.m. and was brought under control by more than 50 firefighters in less than 20 minutes, said fire department spokesman Erik Scott.
The elderly woman was taken to a hospital in grave condition where she was later pronounced dead. She was not immediately identified.
The woman's death is at least the eighth fatality in the city of Los Angeles so far this year from a residential fire. In the previous seven deaths, smoke detectors had not been installed or were not working.
Scott said investigators were determining whether the situation was the same at the home in South Park on Saturday.
"That would sadly be the eighth fatality in Los Angeles in residences" without smoke detectors, Scott said.
The cause of the fire has not been determined.
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