Elderly Woman Killed, Man Injured In House Fire Near Escondido

SAN DIEGO COUNTY — An elderly woman was killed and a man in his 80s was hurt in an overnight fire in unincorporated Escondido, according to authorities.

Police received calls around 2:30 a.m. Thursday about a house fire in the 2400 block of Alexander Drive, initially reported by a passing commuter who saw dark smoke, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department said in a news release.

Deputies arrived to find a man in his 80s outside the home with burn injuries, according to authorities. They entered the house, discovered a man in his 50s asleep and escorted him outside without injury, but they were forced back by flames and smoke when they tried to get to a third person upstairs, police said.

Firefighters located the elderly woman upstairs and took her to the hospital, but she later died, according to authorities, who said the man in his 80s was brought to a hospital for smoke inhalation and burns that were not life-threatening.

The sheriff’s bomb and arson unit is investigating, police said.