Five People Injured in California House Fire

March 11-- MERCED -- Five people were injured after a massive fire broke out Monday morning inside a three bedroom home in east Merced.

Three of the injuries were burn-related and two were due to smoke inhalation, according to Engineer Jim Evans of the Merced Fire Department. One of the injured was burned while trying to rescue others from the house.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation. Firefighters were called at 5:32 a.m. and arrived at 5:35 a.m., finding the 2331 Green St. house engulfed in flames, with fire coming out of the doors and windows.

Upon their arrival, firefighters were told by a resident that everyone had made it out of the home. After searching the home, however, firefighters found one person unconscious inside one of the bedrooms. That person was taken from the home by firefighters and resuscitated, Evans said.

Firefighters contained the fire in 55 minutes. Of those who were hurt, two people were taken to Mercy Medical Center Merced, and three were taken to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno. The condition of those who were hurt is unknown.

Firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading the neighboring home. Family members said around 10 people were living inside the home -- four of them children. All of those who were injured in the fire appear to be adults, and it's unclear how many people were inside the home when the fire broke out.

James Hall, 32, who lived in the home with his wife and kids, held back tears as he described the scene. Hall was alerted to the fire after hearing his dogs howling. "I heard my brother, and people screaming and yelling, so I ran around the side and tried to get in the back. There was way too much heat, too much smoke," Hall recalled.

Hall witnessed his brother, who was covered in flames, trying to pull out their mother, who was burned and on the floor. "The flames pretty much overtook him. He collapsed at the door," Hall said.

Hall grabbed his mother and brought her out into the yard. "The only thing I could think about, the kids were all out with the wife," he said. "I was looking around and I couldn't find my brother's wife...She was actually still inside. (The firefighters) ended up finding her." Some of the dogs who'd been kept at the residence died, Hall said.

The children who'd lived at the home were huddled on a neighbor's porch, as firefighters continued their investigation. Kevin Tayor, the next-door neighbor, said his wife Elyce was able to gather the children together after the fire. Neighbors in the area came by, giving the children food and offering comfort.

Tayor said he'd been on his way to work when his wife called about the fire. He immediately rushed back home. "It's a shame, it really is," Taylor said.

Nineteen firefighters, five engines, one truck and a battalion chief responded to the fire. Firefighters with CalFire also responded to assist with the investigation.

Chief Mike McLaughlin said federal investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have been called to help local fire investigators, due to the number of people who were hurt.

The Red Cross responded to help those displaced by the fire.

City Editor Victor A. Patton can be reached at (209) 385-2431 or [email protected].