FILLMORE : Infant Is Critical After Bedroom Fire

A Fillmore infant was in critical condition Thursday night with second- and third-degree burns over 80% of her body after a fire that started in a bedroom ignited her bed, authorities said.

Three-month-old Esmeralda De La Cruz was flown to the burn center at UC Irvine Medical Center Thursday evening from Ventura County Medical Center.

The fire started in the 5th Street home of Ramon and Cruz De La Cruz, Esmeralda’s parents, just after 1 p.m., Sheriff’s Deputy Jerry Peterson said.

Arson investigators later determined that faulty wiring in a wall socket had shorted out and caused the fire, Peterson said.

The fire spread to the bed that Esmeralda was lying on, he said.

The room was extensively damaged, he said.

Family members discovered the blaze and pulled the infant out, but not before she suffered burns on most of her body, with only a portion of her face, arms and hands left unscathed, Peterson said.

The family and neighbors had nearly extinguished the fire with garden hoses when the Fillmore Fire Department arrived, Peterson said.

The infant was flown by sheriff’s helicopter to Ventura County Medical Center for initial treatment, he said.