Townhouse Fire Kills Woman, 88

An 88-year-old woman died Saturday night in a fire at her Thousand Oaks townhouse, Ventura County fire officials reported.

The woman lived alone and was not identified pending notification of her family. She was found dead in the living room in the 1000 block of Glenbridge Circle, where the fire was reported at 10:15 p.m., fire dispatcher Annie Ironside said. Authorities said the woman had been smoking and they believe that was the cause of the fire.

The fire started in the living room and spread to the townhouse next door through a common attic, causing $125,000 worth of damage to each unit, Ironside said.

There were no injuries to the next-door neighbors. It took about 55 firefighters 35 minutes to control the blaze.