Two killed, two hurt in Altadena house fire

A house fire Saturday night in Altadena left two people dead and two others injured, authorities said.

Firefighters responded to an emergency call in the 2400 block of North Holliston Avenue about 10:20 p.m. Saturday, said Art Marruja, dispatch supervisor for the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The fire was extinguished about 20 minutes later.

The victims, a man and woman, were pronounced dead shortly after the fire broke out. The survivors, two men in their late 30s, were taken to a local hospital with injuries that Marruja described as minor.

Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire, Marruja said, and he could not confirm that there was an explosion as initial media reports indicated. The fire originated in the bedroom, Marruja said.

Authorities estimated the structural damage to the house at $700,000, Marruja said.