Second victim identified in deadly San Rafael apartment fire

Authorities identify second victim in deadly San Rafael fire

Authorities have positively identified the second woman found dead following a deadly fire in San Rafael, investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire.

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - The second victim killed in a fire that tore through a San Rafael apartment complex last week has been identified.

Bodies located 2 days apart

What we know:

The Marin County Sheriff’s Office coroner identified the victim as 68-year-old Pamela Lynn Scoggins of San Rafael. The other victim was previously identified as 62-year-old Tracey Lee Lowmiller, who died two days before her birthday.

Authorities believe the two women were the residents initially reported missing, Police Sgt. Justin Graham said.

Lowmiller’s body was discovered Friday at the burned-out complex at 516 Canal St. The remains of Scoggins were located Sunday.

Fire is suspicious

Dig deeper:

The fire broke out around 5:30 a.m. Aug. 21, displacing 53 people from the 19-unit complex and injuring eight others.

Investigators believe the fire may have been intentionally set because of how quickly it spread.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting with the investigation.

Graham said it's better to treat the fire scene as suspicious, even though they don't directly have evidence of arson at this point.

"We don't want to be behind the curve," Graham said at a Monday news conference. "These types of investigations take weeks, months, if not a year."

San Rafael Deputy Fire Chief Robert Sinnott said crews arrived quickly with plenty of water, but the fire had already engulfed the building.

Sinnott said the fire was burning from the first floor up and side to side.

"That is very unusual," he said. Adding, "Usually, fires are slower moving."

Sinnott said that the building was last inspected in July and passed all the checks.