Father, Son Killed In Port Hueneme Apartment Fire
PORT HUENEME (CBSLA.com) — Two people were killed Friday after a fire erupted in an apartment complex in Ventura County.
The blaze was reported shortly after 4 a.m. at a four-plex located in the 200 block of East C Street in Port Hueneme.
According to the Ventura County Fire Department, crews located an apartment fully engulfed in flames upon their arrival. The crew is located a few blocks from the scene of the tragedy.
A mother and her daughter managed to escape from the building safely.
The father and son became trapped in the building and were later pronounced dead at the scene. Their identities are being withheld pending family notification.
CBS2's Amy Johnson reported from the scene.
The mother tried to push past police and firefighters to get to her son and husband.
"She was just yelling, 'Mario, Mario,'" said neighbor Silvia Lopez. "She kept telling the fire department 'there's two people in there, there's two people in there.'"
She added, "I was just praying, please God, let them be okay."
"We heard this window shatter," said neighbor Carlos Milan, "we thought someone was trying to get into our house."
He said the father went back into the blaze to get his son and his daughter.
The family's dog was also killed.
Milan was injured trying to use the fire extinguisher.
One firefighter was taken to the hospital suffering from smoke inhalation, Johnson reported.
The Red Cross is trying to find shelter for the 20-30 people who lived in the building.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
