One Dead In Early Morning House Fire

by Bay City News Service

One person was killed in a house fire in Martinez early this morning, a Contra Costa County Fire Protection District official said.

The blaze was reported at 4:45 a.m. on Martha Drive.

Firefighters arrived to find smoke and flames coming out of the home's front windows, Fire Marshal Lewis Broschard said.

Neighbors notified firefighters that someone was inside the home, Broschard said. When they searched the house, they found the occupant deceased.

It took firefighters about 20 minutes to control the blaze, which caused an estimated $100,000 in damage, Broschard said.

The cause remains under investigation.