1 dead in overnight Berkeley house fire that required rescues
One person and a pet died from injuries after a fire broke out at a Berkeley home early Monday morning that required rescues, firefighters said.
According to Fire Chief David Sprague, firefighters were called to a home near 10th and Cedar streets in West Berkeley around 4:35 a.m. Crews were able to arrive to the home, located about a block away from a fire station, within three minutes.
When crews arrived, they found the home still in flames. Firefighters broke a window to rescue one of the occupants and rescued three others in another part of the home.
Two of people rescued were hospitalized in critical condition while two others suffered moderate injuries, Sprague said.
Firefighters were able to quickly control the fire. Crews remained at the scene as of 6 a.m.
"This is what we train for, they went immediately into rescue mode, all in is what we say, everyone was focused on getting those people out," Sprague said.
Berkeley Fire later confirmed that one of the rescued victims who was critically injured had died. One of the family pets also died in the fire, officials said.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.