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Fatal Bonney Lake fire under investigation

BONNEY LAKE, Wash. — The cause of a fatal fire in Bonney Lake is under investigation.

"The whole front of it, it was just a wall of flames,” said neighbor Melody O’Neal.

O'Neal woke up and couldn't believe her eyes. Looking out the window, she saw her neighbor's home completely engulfed in flames.

"We were quite shaken for quite some time. I could barely dial 911,” she said.

Firefighters got the call around 10:45 p.m. Sunday. It took them less than 10 minutes to get to the home in the 20800 block of 91st Street East.

The fire was spreading fast.

"It could've been burning a while and even, beyond that, before it found enough oxygen to burst into flames. The house could've been filled with smoke for quite some time, which is quite often the determining factor in a fatality fire,” said Fire Chief Bud Backer, of East Pierce Fire and Rescue.

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Backer said a woman died inside the home. Crews found her on the floor in a bedroom.

"It's just very sad. I'm sad to see her pass,” said O’Neal.

Right now, the woman’s name and cause of death aren't being released.

After seeing the flames and destruction the fire left behind, neighbors feared the worst.

"She had some challenges, you could tell. She was always out walking. I mean, all hours of the day and night, and we were just hoping and praying she was out on one of her walks,” said O’Neal.

"It is sad because, you know, she never hurt no one. She just walked around all the time,” said neighbor Betty Wilde.

No one else was inside the home.