Cypress : Fire in Detached Garage Takes Life of Woman, 22

A 22-year-old woman staying with a friend in a converted detached garage in Cypress died early Friday when a fire apparently ignited by faulty wiring destroyed the building, officials said.

Authorities declined to identify the woman late Friday because her relatives had not been notified. Michael Ward, 19, who also was living in the garage at 8265 Gay St., was able to escape when the fire started at about 5:10 a.m., Orange County Fire Department spokesman Pat Antrim said.

“If they had smoke detectors in there, chances are pretty good they both would have escaped unharmed,” Antrim said.

Investigators have not determined the cause of the fire. But a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department said it apparently was started by faulty electrical wiring.