One Dead, Two Others Critically Injured in San Jose Fire

An early morning fire swept through a San Jose townhouse, killing one woman and leaving two people in critical condition, including a child.

San Jose fire Capt. Mary Gutierrez said the woman who died is in her 50s. A child age 6 or 7 was rescued by firefighters and is at a hospital in critical condition.

There is also one adult in critical condition. Seven people lived in the unit: a mother and father, two sons ages about 6 and 12, an aunt and uncle and a grandfather, Gutierrez said.

The 12 year old boy was also taken to the hospital.

Gutierrez said it is San Jose's first fire fatality in at least one year.

"It really impacts us, especially when crews find a small one," Gutierrez said. "You

focus on the job at hand but it's heart-wrenching."

The 3-alarm blaze affected one four-unit complex at Coyote Creek, a large complex located off Tully Road near Galveston Avenue. About 15 people were displaced by the fire.

irefighters responded to the blaze after receiving a call at 2:47 a.m. from a resident saying the townhouse was on fire. When fire crews arrived they were met by residents screaming that people needed to be rescued, Gutierrez said

Firefighters went into rescue mode, which means get a hose line inside and look for victims, Gutierrez said.

"It was a very stressful moment for our firefighters," Gutierrez said.

When firefighters got inside they were met by heavy smoke and flames and intense heat, Gutierrez said. Firefighters went upstairs and immediately found a young child. They pulled the child to safety and began performing CPR, Gutierrez said.

The child and an adult are in critical condition at a trauma center, Gutierrez said.

The back of the unit also sustained major damage, including a two-car garage located underneath living space.

"Our heart goes out to this family," Gutierrez said.

Firefighters rescued people by pulling them out of the second-story window and helping them down a ladder, Gutierrez said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Gutierrez said the fire cause investigator will also look to see if there were working smoke detectors.

Copyright 2012 - San Jose Mercury News, Calif.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service