By William Brand
Inside Bay Area
NAPA, Calif. — Four people, including two children, died in a house fire in Napa this morning.
The four victims include a man and a woman and two boys, ages, 4 and 12, Napa Fire Capt. Jim Pope said. “We’re still not exactly sure, but we believe they’re all related, members of one family,” Pope said.
They were found in a bedroom in the small two-bedroom house by firefighters, who were using emergency breathing equipment, Pope said.
Three were found dead, but the 12-year-old was still alive. He died a short time later at Queen of the Valley Hospital in Napa.
The cause of the fire is under investigation; there doesn’t seem to be an immediately obvious reason, Pope said. “There was a smoke alarm, we don’t know if it was working,” he said.
The alarm came in at 4:51 a.m. and firefighters were on the scene at 4:56, Pope said. “When they got there they saw smoke and flames coming out of the front corner of the building,” he said.
While firefighters began fighting the fire, other firefighters searched for residents using breathing equipment, he said. All four victims were found in the bedroom in the opposite corner of the house from the flames, Pope said.
It’s a very small house, about 1,000 square feet, he said. “At this point we don’t have anyone to talk to; there are no survivors. This is really hard, it’s the worst,” he said. The last multiple fatal fire in Napa was in 2002, when three people died, Pope said.
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