SEATTLE – An elderly woman was discovered dead inside a West Seattle area apartment this morning after emergency crews were called to the scene because of reports of a fire.

"The 911 caller indicated that they were pounding on the door of their next door neighbor where the fire was occurring and that person was not leaving the unit," said Kyle Moore with the Seattle Fire Department.

Seattle Fire officials confirm the woman was found dead on the floor of her apartment shortly after they arrived. Neighbors say they tried to rescue the woman, but she wasn’t responding.

"The neighbor next door did a good job of, one, calling 911 right away and two, trying to rescue their neighbor who they knew was elderly and may have some problems getting out of her apartment," Moore said.

Flames were spotted showing from the second floor of the two story Riviera Apartment building at 9114 45th Ave SW just after 2:00 a.m.

The fire is now out and officials are investigating the cause of death of the woman. There is no word what sparked the fire and the identity of the woman has yet to be released.