Parents, 2 Children Killed In Sylmar House Fire
SYLMAR (CBSLA.com) — Relatives and friends gathered Monday night outside a home in Sylmar where a family of four died during an early morning fire.
The fire was reported at 4:37 a.m. in a metal barn-like structure in the 13700 block of Eldridge Avenue in Sylmar, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
It took 35 firefighters 25 minutes to extinguish the blaze.
A man, woman and their two children were pulled from the fire in grave condition.
All four succumbed to their injuries at a nearby hospital.
"They were found huddled together in an area where they were looking for some kind of a shelter or an escape," Cpt. Jamie Moore said.
The parents were identified as Uriel Estrada and his wife, Maria Estrada, according to Maria's brother, Fernando Jimenez. He identified the children as 12-year-old Isabel and 7-year-old Alejandro, both students at Santa Rosa / Bishop Alemany Catholic School in San Fernando.
Jimenez says the Estrada family had moved into the home two months ago.
Foul play has been ruled out as a cause for the blaze.
Fire crews say the home did not have smoke or carbon monoxide detectors, both required by law.
The owner of the home visited the house Monday and her attorney claims the house was equipped with smoke detectors.