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Fire rips through El Cajon motel room, 1 dead

Posted at 5:16 AM, Mar 02, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-02 20:28:25-05
EL CAJON, Calif. – One person was found dead after a fire tore through a motel in El Cajon early Wednesday morning. 
 
The blaze broke out before 3:45 a.m. at the Villa Embasadora at 1556 E. Main St. in El Cajon. An office manager heard the alarm, saw the smoke coming from a motel room and tried to knock on the door, but got no response. He attempted to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher, but was unsuccessful. 
 
Heartland Fire & Rescue crews swarmed the motel and found one person dead inside the room. They were able to keep the blaze from spreading to any other rooms.
 
The victim was identified as Drake Lou Pappas, 61. Pappas was staying at the motel with his wife. She had left to go to work the night before the fire.
 
The cause of the fire and a financial estimate of the damage were not immediately known.