A fire erupted inside of a Lauderhill apartment on Thursday afternoon, killing a woman one day before her 92nd birthday.
Fire rescue crews and police were called to the apartment building on Northwest 19th Street shortly after noon. Residents in nearby buildings were evacuated as crews extinguished the blaze, the police department said in a news release.
When firefighters arrived, they were met with smoke and flames showing from the building, though the blaze was mostly contained to one unit on the third floor, said Lauderhill Fire Rescue spokesperson Jasmine Greer. During a primary search, crews found the woman inside her third-floor apartment.
Adeline Morant, 91, was taken to Broward Health Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead, the police department said.
The State Fire Marshal remained at the scene investigating late Thursday evening, Greer said.
“It was a very chaotic situation with no answers honestly when we got there,” she said.