A woman died early Monday in Ramona despite the efforts of three sheriff's deputies who frantically tried to get her out of her burning home, authorities said.
The victim, who was described as elderly and non-ambulatory and who used a wheelchair, had called 9-1-1 to ask for help around 2:30 a.m.
The woman called from a cell phone and wasn't able to provide her address, but deputies were able to figure out her location, said sheriff's Lt. Matt Cook.
When deputies arrived at the home on Telford Lane, they tried several times to rescue her but "the heat and smoke and flames overtook them" and they were not able to get her out, Cook said.
Firefighters from Cal Fire and the Ramona Fire Department arrived after the deputies and found heavy smoke and fire coming from the small home, said Cal Fire spokesman Frank LoCoco. Crews had the fire knocked down in about 40 minutes.
He said there were many items inside the home, which provided a "heavy fuel load" for the blaze.
"The entire house is destroyed," he said.
The woman's two dogs were found safe outside of the home, he said.
The injured deputies were transported to a hospital, where they were treated and released Monday morning. It was unclear if they suffered burns or smoke inhalation.
Investigators with the sheriff's bomb-arson unit are conducting an invesigation to try to determine what sparked the blaze.
The name of the woman who died has not been released.
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