UCLA student found dead in burning apartment near campus

The body of a UCLA student was found inside a burning apartment Monday morning in Westwood, and investigators are trying to determine what led to her death.

More than 30 Los Angeles firefighters doused the fire before 7:30 a.m. in the 10900 block of Roebling Avenue, a multiunit apartment building located about one block from the university’s campus, said Erik Scott of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

After surveying the smoke-filled unit, firefighters found the dead woman. She was pronounced dead at the scene and her identity has not been released, Scott said.

The fire has triggered a probe with two central questions: What was the cause of the woman’s death and what started the fire?

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Arson investigators are working to identify the source of the blaze, Scott said.

Police said it was unclear if the woman died as a result of the flames or if she was dead before the fire started. Homicide investigators are waiting to hear from the L.A. County coroner’s office about how the woman died, said Los Angeles Police Department Officer Mike Lopez.

The woman’s boyfriend had initially been identified as a person of interest, but police said that is no longer the case.

The apartment had functioning smoke alarms, officials said. No bars or security screens were placed over the windows or doors to prevent the woman from escaping the smoldering apartment, officials said.

Several members of the Pi Beta Phi sorority resided in the unit, the Daily Bruin reported.

The woman was a fourth-year student who was studying psychology and Spanish, the newspaper reported.

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