Imperial County Fire treating structure fire as a crime scene

Firefighters in Imperial Valley thought they were responding to a medical aid call for a possible suicide but found a structure fire instead outside of Seeley Wednesday afternoon.

A woman and her two dogs were waiting for first responders outside the structure fire. With assistance from other stations, firefighters contained the fire in under 2-hours.

Fire Captain Edward Villa said the structure fire was considered a complete loss and officials are treating the scene as a possible arson.

“We are trying to keep the evidence as much as preserved as we can. It’s unknown what the cause was. So we’re trying to keep it intact. So we’re using foam right now to help kind of suppress it and get into some deep seeded areas,” Villa said.

Officials said the woman did not suffer any burns but was taken to El Centro Regional Medical Center for further evaluation.