2 children killed in fire at San Diego condominium

Two children have died after being rescued from a burning Rancho Bernardo condominium early Saturday, San Diego police said.

The fire was reported at 3:18 a.m. by someone who was driving by the complex on Bernardo Terrace, off Bernardo Center Drive and Regalo Lane. The 911 caller reported flames coming from a second-story bedroom window, said police homicide Lt. Mike Holden.

A 7-year-old girl and 10-year-old boy were upstairs with their father when firefighters arrived four minutes later. The firefighters had to force their way in through the front door and pulled the victims out of the unit, authorities said. All three victims were unconscious, Holden said.

The blaze was knocked down in about 20 minutes, said San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokeswoman Monica Munoz.

The girl was taken to Palomar Medical Center Poway and declared dead, while her brother and father were taken to UCSD Medical Center, where the boy died. Their names have not been released.

The 37-year-old father is in serious condition and expected to survive, police said.

Fire and police investigators from the Metro Arson Strike Team are working to determine the cause and origin of the fire and whether it was accidental or intentional. Homicide detectives are helping with the early investigation due to the deaths and the undetermined nature of the fire, said Holden.

Davis writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

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