Woman dies in downtown Santiago warehouse fire

SANTIAGO.- A woman who perished early this morning in a fire that began at a building located in the heart of downtown Santiago at Calle Tarapacá 782 has been identified as 62 year-old Gladys Bórquez.

The blaze reportedly began at 4:15 AM as the woman was sleeping at the location. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The Second Lieutenant of Fire Department 5, Diego Valenzuela, said that when firefighters arrived at the scene, warehouse employees told them that there was someone inside the building.

"We forced our way in and saw a person inside; she wasn't breathing. We performed CPR on her until SAMU officials arrived", Diego Valenzuela assured.

"Between firefighters and SAMU personnel, we tried unsuccessfully for a total of 45 minutes to revive the woman", added Valenzuela.

According to the second lieutenant, a pile of boxes, papers and clothing were burned in the fire. The woman was found lying on a sofa.