A house fire in Perris left two people dead and a child and an adult injured on Saturday, officials said.
Flames broke out at the single-family residence in the 1400 block of Portrait Road around 2:15 a.m., according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
Firefighters arrived to heavy smoke and fire visible from the second floor of the home, with victims reportedly trapped inside.
Crews located two bodies in the house, the Fire Department said. Two other people, a child and an adult, were hospitalized for moderate injuries, the agency added.
A neighbor, Martin Talavera, described the deceased victims as a mother and son. He said the two survivors were a father and daughter.
“I just got the water hose and started spraying the water because flames were coming out of the side of the house,” Talavera told KTLA. I couldn’t do much… His door was locked.”
Battalion Chief Mark League said investigators have only confirmed two deaths after initially reporting three fatalities.
“Investigators are still sweeping through the rubble to confirm that third fatality or not,” League told KTLA Saturday morning.
The 27 firefighters who responded to the incident managed to contain the flames just before 3 a.m., according to the Fire Department.
The cause of the blaze remained under investigation.
