House Fire Kills Boy, 4, Hiding in Closet : Tragedy: High winds fan the blaze, preventing rescue crews from finding the youngster.

An Agua Dulce house fire fanned by high winds killed a 4-year-old boy Saturday while his mother screamed outside after trying to save him, authorities said.

Whipped by 20 m.p.h. northwest winds, the blaze rapidly engulfed the tiny, wood house on Escondido Road, preventing firefighters from rescuing Larry Beloz, said Chief Michael Idol of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The boy apparently hid in a closet to escape the heat from the fire, whose cause is being investigated, Idol said. Witnesses said a potbellied stove was used to heat the 500-square-foot home, which had wood walls and a tin roof.

The boy’s mother, Sally Beloz, 47, was taken to Palmdale Community Hospital, where she was admitted in critical condition for burns to her arms and other injuries she sustained trying to get inside the house to rescue her child, nursing supervisor Regina Clark said.

Also treated and released from the hospital with burns on her arms was Cory Lee Wood, who lives on the property in a larger wood house next to Beloz’s home.

About 20 firefighters put out the 2 p.m. blaze in 20 minutes. They entered the house but were unable to find the boy hiding in the closet.

“Those winds really helped spread the fire,” Idol said. “It’s always sad, especially with kids, especially this time of year.”