A woman died, and two others were able to escape a fire at a home in Mira Mesa early Monday, the San Diego-Fire Rescue Department told NBC 7.
A woman died, and two others were able to escape a fire at a home in Mira Mesa early Monday, the San Diego-Fire Rescue Department told NBC 7.
Firefighters arrived at a home at around 2:30 a.m. at 10825 Westonhill Drive, near the intersection of Mira Mesa Boulevard, in the Mira Mesa neighborhood, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.
The Battalion Chief told NBC 7 the entire home was engulfed in thick smoke and flames and said it looked like the fire started in one of the bedrooms in the back of the house, which burned right through part of the roof, but because the bedroom was closed, the fire was fairly contained.
NBC 7 spoke with one of the victims, who said the room was filled with thick smoke and fire.
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"My first impulse was to get the water inside my bathroom and throw it inside. It didn’t help, so I ran outside," said Isabel Laberinto, the victim's roommate.
She said she knocked on the neighbor's door and grabbed the hose and pointed it to the room. Laberinto and her daughter were already safely outside when firefighters arrived. But their roommate, who they said was named Esther, did not make it out.
"The whole back corner of the house was fully engulfed in flame and smoke, and sadly, we were not able to make a rescue today," said SDFD Battalion Chief Erik Windsor.
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Laberinto says Ether was in her late 80s and had some health issues. She says she did her best to try to get to her, but the fire was too powerful.
"Oh! I don’t want her to pass away that way. I want her to pass peacefully. And that is what we have been praying for every day,' she said.
SDFD says there is no indication that any functioning smoke detectors were inside the residence.
The fire was knocked down in about 15 minutes and was extinguished after 30 minutes, SDFD said. There were 30 personnel assigned to the fire, including four engines, one truck, and one medic, officials said.
The circumstances surrounding the fire were unknown. The Metro Arson Strike Team is investigating.
Laberinto and her daughter were displaced by the fire and are being assisted by the Red Cross.
