Elderly woman found dead after house catches fire in El Mirage

A house fire before dawn Friday in El Mirage left a woman dead, according to El Mirage police.

At 5:30 a.m., officers were wrapping up an unrelated call when they spotted fire coming from a nearby home near North Dysart and Cactus roads, police said. Police said officers forced their way inside but could not enter due to heavy smoke and flames. Firefighters later arrived at the house to handle the situation.

Once the home was deemed safe, firefighters entered and found an elderly woman who was pronounced dead inside, police said. The woman's identity has not yet been released.

Police said that as of Saturday morning, the cause of the fire and the woman's cause of death were still unknown. Detectives, fire department personnel, and an investigator from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives are conducting a joint investigation.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Elderly woman found dead after house catches fire in El Mirage