San Jose

Three Killed, One Critically Injured in Three-Alarm Apartment Fire in San Jose

Three people, including a minor, died early Saturday when a three-alarm fire ripped through a San Jose home, critically wounding another person, according to the coroner.

Multiple people reported the blaze on the 500 block of South 9th Street around 5 a.m. near San Jose State University. Flames trapped occupants inside the two-story apartment, according to Joshua Padron, a spokesman for the San Jose Fire Department.

Responding crews immediately tried to save a family of four, who were on the second floor, Padron said. According to a report by the Mercury News, the couple's two children - a 14-year-old daughter and a 21-year-old son - died at the scene. The parents were rushed to a hospital where the 48-year-old mother later died and the father was listed in critical condition, officials said. 

The Santa Clara County coroner's office has yet to release the victims identities but the young man was a student at San Jose State University studying mechanical engineering and the girl was a sophomore at Gunderson High School according to a report by the Mercury News.

It took nearly 45 minutes for firefighters to control the flames. Fifty-two firefighters responded to the fire, which was quickly upgraded from two to three alarms. 

Arson investigators are the scene of the fatal fire, looking into what might have sparked it and where.

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