BIG BEAR LAKE, CALIFORNIA — Police are investigating the cause of a fire at a California home on Friday that tragically killed a mother and her three young children.
KTLA reports that Jose Carlos, a resident of Big Bear Lake, California, woke up on Christmas morning to the smell of smoke. Going outside to investigate, he saw one side of his Southern California home on fire and attempted to extinguish the flames with a garden hose, but failed.
Carlos ran back inside for his family, eventually retreating because the fire was too intense. Firefighters found him outside the house, badly burned.
According to CBS Los Angeles,, rescuers managed to pull Carlos' wife, Maria de Los Angeles, out of the home but were unable to resuscitate her. The couple's three children — 8-year-old Citlali, 3-year-old Andres, and 6-month-old Pearla, all died in the fire. Carlos, who was severely injured, was airlifted to a hospital, though his condition is unknown.
Authorities are speculating that the fire was sparked accidentally, but have not ruled anything out.
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