Cliff-hanger fire kills one

A 65-year-old Laguna Beach woman was pronounced dead after an early-morning fire Tuesday that gutted the first floor of a three-level home in the 1000 block of Tia Juana Street. She was identified as Terrianne Curran.

Curran died from smoke inhalation, according to Laguna Beach Police St. Jason Kravetz.

“The cause of the fire has not officially been determined at this time, but investigators are strongly exploring the possibility that the cause was a lit cigarette thrown into a trash can,” Kravetz said Wednesday.

It is the third fire in four months in a multilevel “cliff-hanger” type home in Laguna Beach, and the first one with a serious injury involved.

Firefighters were called to the home at 3:24 a.m. by the victim’s husband, who told dispatchers he could not reach his wife on the first floor where the fire was burning, Kravetz said.

All Laguna Beach Fire Engines, along with support engines from the Orange County Fire Authority and the Newport Beach Fire Department were sent to the fire, a total of 27 firefighters.

Police officers were the first to arrive and reported seeing visible flames.

The officers attempted to enter the structure and rescue the woman inside, but the flames pushed them out, Kravetz said.

When the fire department arrived, they rushed into the structure and were able to pull the female victim to safety. CPR efforts began, and she was transported to South Coast Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

The fire was extinguished within 13 minutes of firefighters’ arrival, Kravetz said.

The damage consists of extensive smoke and fire damage to the first floor. No dollar assessment has been placed on the loss.