Fires ravaged a home and a business in Hayward early Saturday morning, leaving an elderly woman critically injured and her son seriously injured, according to a fire captain.
Firefighters responded at 3:42 a.m. to the first fire at a 1,000-square-foot home located at 362 A Street, Fire Capt. Thor Poulsen said.
A 60-year-old man had returned home from work moments earlier to find the house ablaze and ran inside to rescue his 92-year-old mother, Poulsen said.
Both were rushed to a burn unit at Eden Medical Center and later transferred to St. Francis Memorial Hospital's burn center.
The woman was listed in critical condition this morning and her son in serious condition.
Firefighters aggressively attacked the blaze, which caused "well over $100,000 in damage" and razed the house, Poulsen said.
Hayward firefighters summoned for a second major structure fire at 5:45 a.m. in a plastics warehouse at 22938 Atherton Street near Jackson Street, Poulsen said.
The fast-moving fire gutted the building, sparing only a few office rooms.
"Firefighters arrived found smoke and flames coming from the storage facility behind the strip mall," Poulsen said.
The blaze was contained before it could reach any of the businesses in the strip mall, which include a Subway restaurant, a donut shop and a PayDay Loans office.
Those establishments will be closed Saturday and are expected to reopen Sunday, Poulsen said.
Fire personnel searched the warehouse roof around 9 a.m. to root out lingering hotspots, accompanied by PG&E crews to secure the building's power lines.
No firefighters were injured in either of the morning blazes, which both remain under investigation to determine what caused each fire.
Hayward Fires Injure Elderly Woman, Son
Business were closed and more than $100,000 worth of damage occurred.
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