Body Found In Murrieta After Firefighters Put Out Suspicious Blaze

MURRIETA (CBSLA.com) — Officials say a woman's body was found Wednesday morning after firefighters knocked down a suspicious apartment fire in Murrieta.

The fire was reported at 6:45 a.m. at the Waterstone Apartments in apartment V-103, according to Murrieta police.

Firefighter quickly knocked down a blaze in one of the rooms, said police Lt. Tony Conrad. At that time, firefighters noticed a deceased woman in the unit.

"Murrieta police investigators, along with investigators from Murrieta fire, are on scene working this case as a suspicious death," Conrad said.

Greg Mills, reporting for CBS2 and KCAL9, spoke to neighbor Jeannie Elskamp who saw smoke when she returned from walking her dog.

"We saw the flames. Huge. And the smoke," said Elskamp.

A man who lives behind apartment V-103 told Mills he heard screaming, then pounding. "He said it wasn't a normal scream," reported Mills, "it was a 'death' scream."

An upstairs neighbor reportedly raced downstairs and rescued a 3-year-old boy who lived in the apartment.

A police lieutenant told Mills, "The boy was taken to a local hospital. The boy was treated for smoke inhalation. He is okay."

Sadly, the man who rescued the boy lost his apartment to the blaze.

Another neighbor, Cody Martzolf, a junior at Murrieta Valley High School, is considered a hero by fellow residents. They say he banged on doors to wake people up.

Martzolf doesn't see himself as a hero and says, "I'm just thankful I got them out on time."

(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)