A woman staying at a senior living facility in Lakeport died Sunday evening after she went back inside her burning building, Lakeport Fire Chief Doug Hutchison said Monday.
The woman’s body was found in an elevator. She apparently had left her apartment and gotten outside, along with several other residents, but for unknown reasons went back into the smoke-filled building, the chief said.
Arriving firefighters, called at 5:53 p.m., found smoke and flames coming from the two-story building on Bevins Street. Some crews remained outside to work the fire while others rushed inside to start a harrowing rescue operation.
With the fire alarm blaring at the 36-unit facility, several residents — many with medical issues and not easily mobile — hadn’t evacuated but waited in their apartment for rescue, Chief Hutchison said.
Firefighters guided some to safety through the thick smoke while others had to be evacuated from second-story windows. Firefighters threw up ladders to the windows and eased the residents out and helped them to the ground.
Four people were taken by ambulance to a hospital for smoke inhalation and one person was flown to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento.
Hutchison said firefighters had put out the flames and were making a second inspection of the building when they found the woman’s body in an elevator. There were no pets with her and it wasn’t clear if she’d been on her way up to her apartment or back down, the chief said.
The fire had started in a first-floor apartment and wasn’t considered suspicious, Hutchison said. Fire officials suspect they know the cause but an investigation was ongoing Monday.
Residents were evacuated to the town senior center to check for injuries and medical needs. Some then went with family while others were taken to the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Lakeport.
Six hours later fire broke out across Clear Lake, south of Lucerne. It burned about 11 acres and forced the evacuation of residents from several hillside homes above Highway 20, along Rosemont and Panoramic drives, according to Cal Fire.
CHP closed the lakeshore highway at Rosemont Drive for hours and expected to have both lanes open by midmorning.
The fire was contained and no structures were damaged, according to initial reports.
