A Vallejo house fire that killed twin teenage girls and their mother has prompted homicide investigations.
Police initially called the early Sunday morning blaze "suspicious in nature."
The three victims were pulled from the house located in the area of the 2900 block of Georgia Street, but were later pronounced dead, police said. The girls have been identified as Trinh and Tram Tran. Their mother has been identified as Mao Tran.
"It just sickens me. It sickens me," said Sandra Clark, Trinh's teacher at Hogan Middle School. "I just cannot fathom how anybody could be responsible for their deaths."
A Vallejo police officer was patrolling the neighborhood around 2:45 a.m. Sunday when he smelled smoke, according to police. As the officer arrived to the scene of the blaze, an 11-year-old girl flagged him down and said three other people were still inside the burning residence.
Officers tried to enter the house, "but the house was fully involved," police stated.
The young girl who flagged down the officer suffered injuries, but she is expected to make a full recovery, according to police.
Family friends said the father was not in town and had left for Vietnam days before the fire. Police have not named a suspect in the case.
"They need to find whoever did this, and may they rest in peace," said Mercedes Wilson, a family friend.
Investigators are trying to determine where and how the fire sparked, according to police.
Anyone with any information regarding the fire is encouraged to call Detective Yates and Detective Poyser of the Vallejo Police Department Detective Division at 707-648-4080.
