Woman Killed In House Fire

TIGARD, OR — A 69-year-old woman died in a house fire early Thursday, according to Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue officials. The woman's brother, with whom she lived, survived the blaze but required medical attention for smoke inhalation.

TVF&R will not release the woman's identity, officials said, citing privacy rules.

Fire crews were dispatched at 6:45 a.m. Sept. 20 to a duplex in the 9000-block of Southwest 91st Avenue, located on a dead-end cul de sac off Southwest Hall Boulevard near Washington Square. Washington County fire dispatchers reportedly took multiple calls from people who could see smoke and fire coming from one side of the duplex.

TVF&R firefighters arrived at the home within four minutes of their dispatch. They immediately began firefighting and search efforts for the woman who was said to still be inside the burning home, but by the time fire crews found her she was already dead, officials said.

The resident living in the other half of the duplex was also home at the time of the fire, but they were reportedly unharmed. However, smoke and water damage will force their displacement for a time, officials said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

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Images via Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue