Relative says 3 family members killed in San Leandro house fire
3 killed in house fire near San Leandro
Members of three generations of a family were killed in a house fire a relative says may have been started by a e-bike lithium battery.
SAN LEANDRO, Calif. -
Family members say three people are dead from a Thursday morning San Leandro house fire.
A relative of the victims told KTVU three generations of one family live in the house. She said she was told the fire was started by an e-bike lithium battery and that the fire killed her mother, her 90-year-old grandmother and her 6-year-old niece.
Fire officials confirmed three deaths but said the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
3 dead in San Leandro house fire
Two women and a 6-year-old girl were killed in a house fire in San Leandro.
What we know:
The fire broke out around 5:20 a.m. at a home Altamont Road, just off Interstate 580, authorities said.
Dozens of Alameda County sheriff's deputies and six fire trucks responded to the scene. Smoke was still billowing from the home at 7:30 a.m.
The Alameda County Fire Department battalion chief initially confirmed a 6-year-old girl died in the fire and several other people were injured. The fire department later retracted that statement.
A relative later told KTVU her mother, Pam Morrow, 69, her grandmother Shirley Demerse, 90 and her 6-year-old niece Aaliyah died in the fire and that the girl's twin sister was among the six taken to the hospital.
Relative says 3 family members killed in San Leandro house fir
Family members say three people are dead from a Thursday morning San Leandro house fire. A relative of the victims told KTVU three generations of one family live in the house. She said she was told the fire was started by an e-bike lithium battery and that the fire killed her mother, her 90-year-old grandmother and her 6-year-old niece.
Family says twin girls were inside home
What they're saying:
A cousin told KTVU that three generations lived at the home, including 6-year-old twin girls, a grandmother, and several aunts. Nine family members lived in the home.
"We saw the fire from down below. I was just very scared for those little girls, and all of them," said Amber Mendoza.
Cause of San Leandro house fire under investigation
Alameda County fire officials said they are still investigating the cause of a house fire in San Leandro where at least one child is unaccounted for.
Authorities are considering the incident an active crime scene but have not revealed the reason for that. The Alameda County Sheriff's Office is handling the investigation.
Henry Lee is a KTVU reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan
Editor's note: The Alameda County Fire Department initially confirmed that a 6-year-old girl died in the house fire; the department later retracted that statement, saying that there was a fatality, though they could not provide the exact age of the victim. Just before noon, fire officials confirmed that two people died in the fire and that one person was still missing.
The Source: The Alameda County Fire Department, along with on-the-ground reporting.