A fatal fire in San Leandro has claimed three lives and injured several others, as a home was engulfed in flames yesterday. The Alameda County Fire Department responded to the blaze before 5:30 a.m. at a residence in unincorporated Alameda County on Altamont Road, as reported by ABC7 News. It was detailed by CBS News Bay Area that neighbors heard two loud booms around the time the fire began, adding a layer of mystery regarding the fire's origin.
There were nine people inside the home at the time of the incident. Six individuals were transferred to the hospital with injuries. Among these, two succumbed to their injuries, and one is currently in critical condition, CBS News Bay Area reports. Officials also recovered the body of a deceased dog amidst the ruins of what once was a symbol of domesticity. When fire crews first arrived, they found the house fully engulfed in flames, with some residents evacuating on their own and firefighters pulling out several people, said Cheryl Hurd, public affairs manager for Alameda County Fire.
The fire's intensity made it prohibitive for firefighters to immediately determine the number of inhabitants and who were accounted for. "A lot of damage to the house that are making it for us to be very difficult to determine the actual number of folks that were in the house and who's been accounted for," Alameda County Fire Chief Willie McDonald was quoted by CBS News Bay Area. A missing child, initially feared to be among the fatalities, was later clarified as unaccounted for, leading to an ongoing and intense search effort, as per Hoodline.
As the investigation progressed, cadaver dogs were brought in to assist with sifting through the debris. The homes, situated in a neighborhood with houses nearby, were luckily not subject to the strong winds present in the afternoon, which could have exacerbated the blaze, a resident expressed his gratitude for. According to an interview by Amber Mendoza, a family member of the victims, the home housed a multi-generational family, including 6-year-old twin girls, their grandmother, and several aunts. "I was just very scared for those little girls, and all of them," said Mendoza, per Hoodline.
While officials are yet to disclose the ages of the victims who perished, the investigation into the cause of the fire continues. The Alameda County Sheriff's Office is handling the case, treating it as an active crime scene with no further details on the investigation released thus far.
