Goleta house fire kills one

BY ERIC LINDBERG
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

A two-alarm house fire early this morning in the Goleta Valley claimed the life of at least one resident, fire officials said.
At 2:48 a.m., firefighters arrived at 900 N. La Patera Lane to find the main ranch house fully engulfed in flames, County Fire Spokesman Michael Burke said. Live power lines on the ground and a lack of water made it difficult for crews to knock down the blaze, officials said.

“That area is kind of rural, and basically we bring our own water with us up there, so we had to wait for our water tenders,” Burke said. “They lost pretty much the whole main house there on the ranch.”
One resident awakened by the flames escaped and received treatment for smoke inhalation, fire officials said. Investigators have not determined the name, age or gender of the victim, who firefighters found inside the building after extinguishing the blaze, Burke said.
Flames damaged several vehicles parked next to the building, and fire officials said an adjacent building suffered only minor damage. Firefighters worked through the morning and into the afternoon, hauling away metal roof sheeting and piles of scorched wood and ashes as forensic investigators continued to examine the scene.