EL CAJON - A dropped cigarette apparently sparked a fire that engulfed a mobile home at an East County trailer park over the weekend, killing a woman inside, authorities reported on Monday.
Karen Hunter, 64, died Sunday evening as flames spread through her residence at the El Capitan Mobile Home Park on East Madison Avenue in El Cajon, according to police and the county Medical Examiner's Office.
About 20 firefighters extinguished the blaze, which erupted shortly before 7 p.m., within 15 minutes, saving nearby trailer homes, city spokeswoman Monica Zech said. The crews then discovered Hunter's body, she said.
Investigators determined that "smoking materials" -- likely a dropped cigarette -- ignited a living-room couch, Zech said. Hunter's friends and neighbors told authorities she was a smoker.
The fire, which also killed Hunter's four pet birds, caused an estimated $75,000 damage to the trailer and its contents.
The woman's cat was missing following the blaze, according to Zech.
