The fire that claimed a woman’s life on March 8 in the 1000 block of Fairview Avenue was ruled accidental, Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Capt. Chris Blasnek said.
“Our arson explosive detail handled the incident,” Blasnek said. “And it was ruled accidental, there was no suspicious activity surrounding it at all.”
According to Blasnek, investigators determined that the fire started in a bedroom and burned “for quite a while,” destroying a lot of evidence in the process. The cause of death was ruled respiratory failure as a result of smoke inhalation.
“They were not able to determine the exact cause,” Blasnek said. “It was a very unfortunate case.”
Immediately after the blaze, neighbors initiated a GoFundMe.com account to support the homeowners, raising nearly $10,000 in a matter of three hours.
— Mirjam Swanson
