Week in Review : MAJOR EVENTS, IMAGES AND PEOPLE IN ORANGE COUNTY NEWS : AT THE SCENE : Brother, Sister Die in Santa Ana House Fire

A 29-year-old Santa Ana man was working on a wall gas heater early last week when it exploded, killing Jay Woodfin and sending a ball of fire through the house on South Cedar Street. The fire also killed Woodfin’s sister, Christine; their mother, Marjorie, 55, was severely burned.

Two other sons, David, 19, and Joseph, 25, who were in a back bedroom of the home, escaped unharmed. Intense heat prevented the two men and their mother from rescuing Jay and Christine, Santa Ana firefighters said.

Marjorie Woodfin suffered second- and third-degree burns over half of her body, and neighbors said they had to restrain her from going back into the house after her children. Residents from surrounding blocks rushed to the scene and sprayed water on the flames.

“She’s screaming to save her daughter and we can hear her daughter inside screaming for help,” one neighbor said.

A fireman at the scene said a spark from a lamp is believed to have ignited the gas. But Deputy Fire Chief Jame Montgomery stressed that no cause had been determined.