An 89-year-old woman died after fire ignited in the back end of a Mira Mesa home early Monday, a San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesperson said. Crews were sent to the home on Westonhill Drive, just north of Mira Mesa Boulevard, at 2:35 a.m., spokesperson Mónica Muñoz said. Two residents were already outside before fire crews arrived, she said. Drizzle “kept the smoke close to the ground and around the house,” she said. When crews checked the perimeter, they found flames coming from the back of the home. Muñoz said firefighters began deploying hose lines and started searching the home. During a second search, they found the woman dead in the back of the home. The fire started in a room in the back of the home and burned through the roof in that room, she said. The fire was primarily contained in that room, although it did spread into the hallway. Crews had the fire knocked down within about 15 minutes and doused after another 30 minutes, she said. The elderly woman’s cat is missing and presumed dead, said San Diego police Detective Sgt. Farrell Layton, who is with Metro Arson Strike Team, which includes San Diego firefighters and police. The team is investigating the fire, and the cause is unknown. Damage from the fire is estimated at $500,000 for the structure and another $200,000 for the contents inside. According to Muñoz, the two people who got out of the home said they were alerted to the fire because they smelled smoke. Muñoz said there was no indication the home had functioning smoke alarms. ...read more read less