RAMONA, Calif. (KGTV) — Family members are mourning a Ramona woman who was killed alongside her two dogs in a trailer fire last week.
Along Cinnamon Rock Road in Ramona, amid the charred debris, is a scattering of broken hearts for the Escarcega family.
“It's just unbearable pain at times where I can't even breathe,” said Mia Escarcega.
The grief-stricken mother and stepfather, Fernando, spoke to me about the loss of 40-year-old Angelina Sanchez two Sundays ago after an early morning fire consumed the trailer she lived in with her husband of nearly four years.
After fires doused the flames, Sanchez was discovered dead, along with her two large rescue dogs, Layla and Raya.
Mia says her daughter and her dogs were discovered here in the bedroom.
"It appears that either the carbon monoxide, the fumes, or the smoke got to her and the dogs before the flames did,” said Fernando Escarcega.
Mia calls her daughter, a landscape designer, a vibrant, smart, and outgoing woman who doted on her dogs.
“When she would walk in the room, it was full. It became energized because of her energy,” said Mia.
The fire that cut short her life is now the focus of a sheriff's investigation.
Mia says her daughter's husband had gone for a drive that morning after a disagreement before returning to the fire. Unable to reach his wife, he called 911.
“First, Mia grilled him, and then I grilled him and, and both of us were completely satisfied that it was a tragic accident,” said Fernando.
Mia believes she knows the cause of that tragedy.
She says the heater in the trailer had recently broken down, and the couple was using a propane campfire stove with an open flame to heat the home.
As temperatures turn cooler, Mia hopes her daughter's story will serve as a warning when it comes to using alternative heat sources.
“Just be smart because you turn your back, and before you know it, something terrible and tragic could happen, and it's just not worth it,” said Mia.
ABC 10News reached out to the Sheriff's Office for an update on the investigation and is waiting to hear back.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help with funeral and other expenses.
