Waterford woman dies in house fire

A 61-year-old woman was found dead inside her Waterford home where a fire broke out early Thursday morning. At least 15 cats and two dogs also perished in the fire.

A California Highway Patrol dispatcher answered a 911 call from a cellphone around 4 a.m. but could only hear muffled sounds on the other end of the line, said Fire Investigator Ed Sears. Most 911 calls in the area are routed to the CHP, which then transfers the calls to the appropriate agency.

Dispatchers pinged the phone and found it was in Waterford, but it was not until the recorded phone call was played back that dispatchers heard the caller say “Mirandy Court.”

Firefighters from the Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District responded to the court and found smoke coming from the home.

Sears said the first crew entered the home and went to extinguish the fire, which originated in and was contained to the kitchen.

“They described to me that fire was rolling across the ceiling,” Sears said. “There was a lot of smoke throughout the house (from the ceiling to) within a foot of the floor.”

The second crew to arrive searched the home for the person who presumably had called 911.

Stanislaus Consolidated spokeswoman Carissa Higginbotham said firefighters had difficulty getting through the cluttered house. They found the resident in a bedroom about 10 minutes after entering.

Firefighters brought the woman outside, where paramedics declared her dead. The woman was identified as Patricia Kain, who lived alone in the home.

While most of Kain’s pets also died in the fire, a few cats survived, Sears said.

He said the fire has been determined to be accidental, started by an electrical appliance that was burned beyond recognition.

This story was originally published June 2, 2016 at 5:12 PM with the headline "Waterford woman dies in house fire."