Investigation into cause of fire that killed San Bernardino woman continues

A San Bernardino neighborhood is mourning the loss of one of their members after a deadly fire erupted inside of one home last weekend. 

It was first reported a little before midnight on Feb. 16 at a home in the 5600 block of Louise Street, which is located in the North Park neighborhood, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department. 

"The first-arriving engine crew reported heavy dark smoke from the rear of the house, with the fire apparently extending into the attic," firefighters said.

Despite an aggressive attack from both inside and outside of the home, firefighters found the home's resident and her cat dead inside. 

The intense fire woke neighbors, who rushed out of their own homes to see what had caught fire. When they saw it was one of homes along their street, they tried to spring into action.

"Other neighbors had tried to open the front door and the flames kept rushing out of the front door," recalled Darwin Tiffany, who lives nearby. "As I opened the front door, a bunch of smoke came out. Black smoke. ... There wasn't anything you could do. You couldn't get close enough."

The woman has been identified by the San Bernardino County Coroner as 44-year-old Jacqueline Barragan, who neighbors called Jackie. 

"It was sad to see a beautiful woman have to die like that," said Patty Guardado, another neighbor. 

Neighbors say that despite the intensity of the flames and smoke, they couldn't hear any smoke detectors going off or any calls for help from Barragan. 

"There's times I can't sleep, cause I think about what's gonna happen next door," Guardado said. "I go through memory lane with that."

She's lived next door to Barragan for more than a decade and says that she used to be a nursing assistant but had transitioned to work in the trucking industry. Though she typically kept to herself, she's remembered as a delightful neighbor, mother and sister. 

"It was really hard, it was really hard because I would talk to Jackie. Her and I would sit out here and talk," Guardado said. 

Firefighters are still working to determine what caused the massive fire, which left the home as a total loss. Barragan's daughter was still able to retrieve some of her mother's belongings from the debris, however, including a photograph album.

"God didn't let that book of photos die," Guardado said. "She's at peace now."