Woman dies in fire at downtown Spokane senior living apartment

SPOKANE - An elderly woman died from smoke inhalation after she was rescued from a downtown Spokane senior living apartment.

Firefighters evacuated parts of the Cathedral Plaza senior living apartment building after the woman's apartment on the 15th floor caught fire just before 7 a.m. 

Authorities say a woman in her 70's was taken to Deaconess Medical Center for treatment after she breathed in smoke from the fire, and was later pronounced dead.

Firefighters quickly put out the fire inside the woman's apartment at the building at 1120 West Sprague near Jefferson, but have not yet said what the cause was.

Some of the senior residents on the lower floors  were taken out of the building as a precaution since some light smoke was reported in those areas around 6:48 a.m. when the fire was first reported.

Traffic was restricted in the area for a couple of hours.

The Cathedral Plaza is recognizable to many in Spokane as it stands 15 stories above ground just west of the Spokane Club overlooking Peaceful Valley and the Spokane River.