Two Golden Valley Firefighters battle heavy flames to gain access to the main structure to search for occupants.
Golden Valley Fire Chief Thomas O’Donohue confirmed one person died this morning at the scene of a structure fire at 1425 Verde Road. Firefighters discovered the body of a subject after extinguishing the residential fire that was dispatched at 3:05 AM. Firefighters were initially advised from 911 Dispatch there may be a person trapped inside the structure, which was confirmed by firefighters upon arrived. Firefighters were on scene within 6-minutes and reported heavy flames from the apartment structure and spreading to the main home when they arrived. In addition, live power lines that fell from the structure showered sparks near firefighters who worked around the live power lines to gain access to the victim. Occupants of the main home who escaped, reported there was still one person inside the structure so firefighters went into Rescue Mode initially to locate the victim while simultaneously conducting extinguishing operations. The primary and secondary search revealed the victim was not in the main house, rather an outside apartment type structure to the rear which was fully involved upon arrival of fire crews. Golden Valley Fire Investigators were on scene combing through the evidence and working with MCSO detectives to determine the cause of this morning’s fatal fire. The victim has not been identified until all next of kin notifications can be properly made. At least two family dogs were also discovered deceased in the main home after the detailed search by firefighters. In all, fourteen firefighters responded to the scene in addition to MCSO Deputies and Detectives. No other injuries were reported to occupants or firefighters. The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation at this time.
