Woman found dead inside South Austin home after fire
AUSTIN, Texas - A neighbor called 911 after seeing smoke rising out of a second-floor unit, at the Travis Green Condominiums Monday morning. The neighbor then went onto pound on the door and was joined by another neighbor who helped kick it in.
Battalion Chief David Brietzke said the two were able to force entry but the heat and the smoke were too much. Fire crews were on the scene within minutes.
“They saw smoke coming from the ridgeline at the apartment,” said Chief Brietzke. “They pulled off a fire attack line to the second floor, advanced to the second floor into the condo, and made entry into the condo and had a pretty quick knockdown of the fire.”
Firefighters surveyed the damage and found a woman in her 70’s laying unresponsive on her couch. Arson investigators and Austin Police Homicide were on the scene conducting interviews and collecting evidence.
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The scene was alarming for neighbors.
Trevor Bye who lives in the area said he saw residents talking about what happened online and was concerned. “We pretty much know everybody. Everyone has been here pretty long,” Bye said. “We are a pretty close-knit community. It's awful. It’s absolutely awful so I’m hoping everyone is okay or we can at least come together and help them.”
The fIre and smoke damage was maintained to the single unit. Arson and homicide investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire and the woman’s death.