Neighbor explains how she escaped Lynnwood apartment fire that took the life of a neighbor

Woman killed in Lynnwood apartment fire

A woman in her 30s was found dead after a late-night apartment fire in Lynnwood on Sunday.

LYNNWOOD, Wash. - A woman was found dead after a fire swept through a Lynnwood apartment building late Sunday night.

Firefighters were called out to a building at 16028 44th Avenue at around 11:40 p.m.

Yolanda, her husband and two children were asleep when the fire tore through the apartment next door. 

"It’s in the next apartment, the fire," said Yolanda, who escaped the fire with her family. "I’m yelling for my kids, ‘Go outside. Go outside.’"

She shared video of the fire as the building burned, and says the family could feel the heat.

"It was hot," she said.

She immediately called 911 as she and her family looked on and worried about the neighbor who hadn't come out.

"I'm calling for the emergency," she said. "This is my apartment, and this is my neighbor," she added, pointing to the unit next to hers on the ground floor.

South County Fire says it was determined that the fire started on the first floor and spread upstairs to the second. Fire crews said icy conditions made it challenging to get on the roof during the firefight.

A man in his 30s was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation and later released.

Fire crews found the victim, a woman in her 30s, in a first floor apartment. Neighbors said they believe her two cats were also lost in the fire.  

"Only this and this and me, everybody out," said Yolanda, explaining that at least three others survived.

Fire officials say eight apartments were evacuated and now 20 people, including 10 children, are being forced to find other housing.

Yolanda said the apartment complex has found another unit where she and her family will be able to move. 

"The fence is broken," said Yolanda, pointing to more destruction outside the apartment building. "That’s crazy."

The magnitude of the tragedy is still hard to process for many at the complex.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation by the Snohomish County Fire Marshall's Office, with help from South County Fire.

South County Fire reminds everyone to check your home's smoke alarms, replace batteries once a year and replace smoke alarms after 10 years. 

MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE

‘She’ll never be gone’: Memorial held for fallen WSP Trooper Tara-Marysa Guting

Renton, WA residents expect long cleanup in Cedar River flooding aftermath

VIDEO: Elderly couple robbed, attacked in Lynnwood, WA parking lot

Washington State Ferries begin winter schedules, additional routes adjusted

Driver fleeing police hits family of four in Puyallup, WA

To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.

Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.