Woman With Fatal Burns Found on Street

A severely burned woman knocked on the doors of Sun Valley houses early Tuesday seeking help before she was taken by paramedics to Providence St. Joseph’s Hospital in Burbank, where she died, authorities said.

Los Angeles police detectives are investigating whether the woman was attacked or set herself ablaze. The woman, believed to be in her late teens or early 20s, has not been identified.

The fire may have originated at Keswick Street and Security Avenue, adjacent to the Golden State Freeway, said Det. Dennis Kilcoyne of the LAPD.

After apparently tearing off her clothes while on fire, the woman began walking down the 9900 block of Keswick Street, authorities said.

One resident, who did not want to be identified, said she heard a faint knock on her door but was “too afraid” to open it. Sooty, bloody handprints could still be seen on the resident’s white wooden door decorated with a Christmas wreath.

“I saw a leg moving and called 911. I was not wearing my glasses. I thought it was a guy. I did not go outside,” the resident said.

Police said the call was received at 5:17 a.m.

Ana Meza, 30, said she walked out of her house after hearing sirens and saw a petite nude woman standing silently nearby with her arms extended.

“She was completely burned from top to bottom,” Meza said. “Her skin was black.”

Meza’s mother, who was on her way to work, flagged paramedics down as they arrived at the scene.

The woman died at St. Joseph’s Hospital at 6:20 a.m., authorities said.

Police said they do not believe the woman lived on the block.

The Los Angeles County coroner’s office will seek to identify the woman and determine cause of death.