One person was found dead after a house fire on Mount Helix Saturday, authorities said.
Deputies responded to the blaze in the 9100 block of Lavell Street at about 12:15 p.m., according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.
When they arrived, they found a woman who had escaped the fire. Deputies then entered the home and tried to find an elderly woman upstairs but were pushed back by the flames.
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San Miguel Fire & Rescue crews arrived shortly after as flames spread throughout most of the house and to nearby vegetation.
Firefighters stopped the spread within about 30 minutes and kept the fire under a quarter-acre, Battalion Chief Nick Nava said. He said the blaze was difficult to access because of the road structure and how the house was built into the hillside.
Fire crews found the woman's body inside the house, law enforcement said. She died from her injuries on the scene.
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The woman who escaped was later identified as the victim's granddaughter. She was treated by medics and released, SDSO said.
No officers or firefighters were injured.
The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office will identify the victim, notify the family and determine the cause and manner of death.
It is unclear how the fire started. The investigation is being handled by the Sheriff's Bomb/Arson Unit.
At 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Lavell Street was still closed in both directions between San Juan Place and Edgewood Drive. Edgewood Drive was also closed between Bancroft Drive and Lavell Street, according to SDSO.
