Woman dies in Phoenix apartment fire

PHOENIX — A woman died Tuesday morning in an apartment fire in Phoenix near Southern and Central avenues.

Tony Mure with the Phoenix Fire department said neighbors noticed smoke in the apartment at around 5:30 a.m. and attempted to rescue the woman. Several men broke a window, broke through a screen door and used fire extinguishers to try to control the fire and rescue the victim.

The woman, in her late 60s, was too weak to open the door after she had fallen in front of it, Mure said.

Firefighters didn’t know what caused the fire, and haven’t identified the victim. The fire was contained and no other apartments were affected.

During the firefighting efforts, a neighbor tried to take a crew member’s hose, said Mure. Phoenix Police are looking for that person. It’s against the law to interfere with a firefighter performing his or her duty.