Couple, 2 Daughters Die in Arson Blaze : Crime: Officials say the victims were trapped in a bedroom with security bars that had no releases. Three other people escape the South-Central L.A. house.

A fire that trapped two girls and their parents behind the window security bars of their South-Central Los Angeles home is being investigated as arson, police and fire officials say.

The blaze was extinguished within minutes, but when firefighters entered a bedroom of the small bungalow on West 89th Street early Wednesday, they discovered the bodies of Jeronimo Martinez, 40, his wife, Amparo Martinez, 34, and their two daughters, Liliana, 2, and Fabiola, 6. A 17-year-old son, Juan, who was sleeping in another room, escaped through a kitchen door along with another teen-ager and an adult who also were living in the house.

Lt. Larry Hinrich of the Police Department’s criminal conspiracy section said the fire is being investigated as a case of arson.

“It was deliberately set,” he said. “A flammable liquid was used as an accelerant and it was ignited in the center of the house.”

Maria Del Carmen, 34, who escaped the fire along with her daughter, Teresa, and the Martinezes’ son, said she heard voices outside the house shortly before the fire started.

“It sounded like drunken men, then I heard an explosion and then the fire spread,” she said. “I was able to wake up the family but they could not get out. I kept calling her, ‘Amparo! Amparo!’ She was screaming for help but there was nothing anyone could do.”

Residents on West 89th Street heard the cries and tried to help.

“I heard them screaming and I got up,” said Robert Artiga, 16. “The building was burning. We tried to help, but the windows were too hot, and the doors were locked.”

The two windows to the bedroom where the family slept were covered by steel bars that were not equipped with releases. The door from the bedroom was blocked by the fire. There were no smoke detectors in the home, fire officials said.

“There was really no way out, they were trapped,” Hinrich said. “They were all awake, but there wasn’t a whole lot they could do.”

The Fire Department’s arson unit and detectives from the LAPD criminal conspiracy section are investigating.

Hinrich asked the public for help to determine who was responsible for setting the blaze. He asked anyone with information to call (213) 893-8111.

Fire investigators also are trying to determine why the bars on the rented house did not have quick release devices that would have allowed the family to escape. Bars on bedrooms are required by law to have devices that will allow occupants to escape within 30 seconds, fire officials said. Violators face a misdemeanor charge that carries up to a six-month jail sentence and a $1,000 fine.

Neighbors said they knew little about the family, who had moved in about four months ago.

“They were nice people, friendly,” Linda Thompson said. “They always said hello and the girls liked to ride their bikes up and down the block.”

After the fire, the Los Angeles chapter of the American Red Cross provided family members with counselors and promised food and clothing and assistance in making funeral arrangements.

“This is one of those kinds of cases you hope you don’t have to deal with,” said Tom Thompson, an American Red Cross spokesman. “It’s very sad.”