An approximately 75-year-old woman was found dead in a fire at a home in Sylmar, authorities said Tuesday.
The fire was reported at 10:45 p.m. Monday and firefighters responded to the home at 14379 Tyler St., south of Foothill Boulevard, where 31 firefighters knocked down the fire in 21 minutes, said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Nicholas Prange.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
In addition to the victim, approximately 12 cats were also found dead at the scene. It is unclear how many of the cats died as a result of the fire, Prange said.
Authorities said there were no functional smoke alarms found at the scene.
The building sustained significant damage due to the fire and prior weather damage, and city officials have deemed it uninhabitable and it will be yellow- tagged by the Department of Building and Safety, Prange said.
The LAFD’s Arson/Counter Terrorism Section was called to the scene after the knockdown and is in charge of investigating the cause of the fire.