POWAY, Calif. — A deputy shattered windows in an attempt to save a woman from a raging house fire in Poway overnight, but flames engulfed the room she was lying in before authorities could reach her.

The fire broke out at a home on Crocker Road, just east of Espola Road, around 2:30 a.m. Friday, according to San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. The first deputy arrived before firefighters and found the house “fully engulfed in flames.”

“The deputy began breaking windows to locate and contact any occupants,” a sheriff’s department news release explained. “The deputy noticed a body lying in a bedroom but was unable to make entry due to smoke and flames.”

Officials say the deputy called out to the victim but did not receive any response. “Seconds later, the victim’s body was overcome by flames,” officials said.

The Poway Fire Department arrived a short time later and was able to extinguish the fire.

While authorities have not publicly identified or shared any characteristics of the victim, a neighbor told FOX 5 she was a woman who had lived in the area for 30 or so years.

Detectives from the sheriff’s bomb and arson unit are investigating to determine the cause of the blaze, which is typical in deadly incidents, regardless of whether arson is initially suspected. Authorities will also try to determine the specific cause of the woman’s death.