Woman who died in Lakewood apartment fire has been identified by medical examiner
A 32-year-old woman who died last month in a fire that broke out in a Lakewood apartment has been identified by the Pierce County medical examiner.
Christine Nikolao of Lakewood died Feb. 20, the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office said in a news release issued days after the fire. Firefighters were called to her residence at Maple Court Apartments in the 4800 block of 122nd Avenue Southwest at about 10 p.m.
Nikolao’s cause of death is pending further investigation, according to the medical examiner. On Twitter, officials with West Pierce Fire & Rescue said the woman died while being transported to a hospital.
An investigation into what caused the fire is ongoing, a representative from the fire department said Tuesday. Firefighters contained the fire to the victim’s apartment unit.
An obituary for Nikolao said the woman was loved by many family and friends. In a GoFundMe started to raise money for funeral arrangements, the woman’s mother wrote that Nikolao moved to Washington state to pursue her career after graduating from California State University in Sacramento. The mother described her as a caring and outgoing woman.
This story was originally published March 7, 2023 at 8:14 AM.
