Tragedy struck in Colton early Friday morning when a family of eight, including six children, was forced to jump from a second-floor window to escape a raging house fire. According to NBC Los Angeles, the fire erupted near the Colton Civic Center around 5:30 a.m., just one day after Thanksgiving. Three family members are currently in critical condition as a result of the blaze.
Firefighters rushed to the scene to find "quite a bit of fire coming through the roof," according to Colton Battalion Chief Tom Debellis, as reported by NBC Los Angeles. Witnesses described a harrowing scene, with the fire consuming the home in roughly 10 minutes. The brother of the homeowner, Emmanuel Flores, told KTLA that, jumping from the home, family members had to escape the flames quickly engulfing the structure.
Among those hospitalized were the parents and children, with the mother and two of her kids in critical condition. Emmanuel Flores expressed his concern for his family in an interview with KTLA, especially for his 13-year-old nephew, who sustained burns to 25% of his body and was airlifted to a hospital in Irvine. "I'm really worried about them," he said.
While the exact cause of the fire remains unknown, investigators were at the scene searching for clues. Battalion Chief Debellis stated to KTLA, "At this point, we don’t know exactly what the cause was." In the aftermath, the community has rallied around the family, with a GoFundMe page set up to provide assistance to the Flores-Martinez family during this challenging time.
