Two children died when they became trapped inside a burning California house early Thursday.
The fire started just before 12:30 a.m. at a home in Chula Vista, KNSD-TV reports. Flames had engulfed the house by the time firefighters arrived at the scene, and they quickly tried to rescue anyone still inside while also trying to put out the fire.
Four people were home when the fire broke out. A man was taken to the hospital with severe burns, and a woman escaped unharmed.
Crews were able to locate two children who also were inside the house at the time. They died at the scene.
“Most of these firefighters, they're married with families and kids, so as you can imagine, it's very difficult,” Battalion Chief Ray Smith told KNSD.
Nearly 40 firefighters worked for around four hours to extinguish the flames, which destroyed the house in the end. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
