San Diego

A 4-month-old boy was critically injured and a 24-year-old man who rescued him was slightly injured in an early Friday morning fire that left 19 residents of a Southeast duplex homeless, officials reported.

The infant, Jonathan Johnson, was listed in fair condition at UC San Diego Medical Center, where he was being treated for second-degree burns. Scott Girten, who rescued the baby, was listed in satisfactory condition and being treated for smoke inhalation at Physicians and Surgeons Hospital.

Firefighters were called to the duplex, which is in a converted house in the 300 block of S. Bancroft St., at 4:01 a.m. and found the top story fully engulfed in flames, San Diego Fire Department spokesman Larry Stewart said.

The fire was caused by faulty electrical wiring, Stewart said.

The Red Cross arrived within 20 minutes of firefighters and offered shelter to the 19 residents of the house, at least 11 of whom are children, according to Elaine Franklin, a Red Cross spokeswoman. Most of the victims accepted the offer, and were taken to a local hotel and given money for food and clothing, Franklin said.

“Over the weekend, they will have a chance to assess what’s happened to them,” Franklin said. “We will meet with them on Monday so we can look at long term needs. Most of them are in shock right now.”