A fire broke out at a granny flat behind the house at 5530 La Jolla Hermosa Ave. in Bird Rock on Monday, Jan. 4 at 7:45 a.m., taking the life of 94-year-old Patsy Walsh Williams. Faulty electrical wiring caused the fire, according to San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman Maurice Luque. Two workmen across the street saw the smoke and attempted to break into the house to rescue the woman. The smoke prevented the men from entering the house and they used a garden hose to tackle the fire until the fire trucks arrived. Williams was overcome by smoke and the fire fighters found her burned body after they extinguished the fire. Williams’ son-in-law was found disoriented in the living room of the main house, and was transported to a La Jolla hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation. Four Chihuahua-mix dogs were found unharmed in the main house and turned over to Animal Control. One of the workmen and a firefighter, who injured her arm during the rescue, also suffered from smoke inhalation. It took firefighters 10 minutes to extinguish the fire, which caused $300,000 in damage to the structure and $100,000 to contents, according to Luque. The main house only suffered damage to the attic.