SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- A fire at a Mountain View-area home that killed three people early Thursday morning may have been started intentionally, according to authorities.
Just before 6:15 a.m., San Diego Fire-Rescue Department crews were dispatched to the 300 block of S. 38th Street, near Franklin Avenue, due to a reported house fire.
Responding crews were able to put out the fire a short time later, but upon entering the home, the bodies of three people were found inside. SDFD officials said the three people “appeared to have succumbed to injuries caused by the fire.”
An SDFD battalion chief at the scene said the deceased individuals were found at the front of the house. The victims were not identified.
ABC 10News learned neighbors heard screams coming from the house when the fire erupted. The neighbors tried to help but could not reach them.
Metro Arson Strike Team (MAST) investigators were called to the scene to investigate, and SDFD officials said, “During the preliminary evaluation of the scene to determine the cause and origin of the fire, the investigators discovered suspicious circumstances which led them to believe the fire could have been intentionally set. Investigators from the San Diego Police Homicide Unit responded to the scene to assist.”
The battalion chief said the home did have bars on the windows, but fire officials said it’s not immediately known if the bars prevented the three people from getting out.
No other injuries or deaths were reported.
Two dogs that survived the fire, a pit bull and a chihuahua, were taken in by the Humane Society.
