RAMONA, Calif. (KGTV) - Friends remember a Ramona woman, whose body was discovered after a fire tore through her trailer home.
Along Voorhes Lane in Ramona, feet from a pile of debris is a small memorial created by Jill Trowbridge.
“Sad. I’m going to really miss my friend,” said Trowbridge, choking back tears.
Trowbridge, who moved to the area in October, says she and her friend, who was about 60 years old, became fast friends.
She says they bonded because they both suffered brain injuries in the past and did coloring exercises to help them heal.
“I have ongoing neuro stuff that I’m working on, and she did too. We're like, ‘Omigosh, no one knows how weird it is to have to do this,’” said Trowbridge.
Trowbridge says her friend lived in this trailer on her family's property, and other health issues prevented her from leaving.
“She'd been in a trailer without the ability to stand up or walk, or get out of the door … for two to three years,” said Trowbridge.
On Saturday afternoon, a fire consumed the trailer she lived in. It was fully engulfed by the time fire crews and deputies arrived.
The body of a woman was later discovered in the debris.
Deputies say a man tried to put out the fire, suffered burns and smoke inhalation. Trowbridge says the man was her caregiver.
A sheriff's department spokesperson says the identity of the woman has been withheld, pending the results of an autopsy.
As the Sheriff’s arson unit investigates the cause, friends honor the memory of a woman who was struggling, but supportive.
“I just want people to remember her,” said Trowbridge. “She was the most positive, cheerful, happy person I knew.”
Trowbridge says her friend was showing signs of trying to get better physically, becoming more social.
“I really had hope for the situation getting better,” said Trowbridge.
It's not known when the autopsy will be completed.
Anyone with information on the fire is asked to call the Sheriff's Department at 858-565-5200.
