Mother, 7-year-old daughter found dead after Fontana house fire

FONTANA, Calif. (KABC) -- Two people were found dead after a fire ripped through a Fontana home early Monday morning.

Firefighters received a call around 1:15 a.m. regarding a fire in the 17700 block of Owen Street. When authorities arrived, fire was coming through three sides of the single-story home.

Fire crews established it as a second-alarm blaze due to the strong winds and potential to spread to nearby structures. The fire was knocked down within 30 minutes.

The bodies of a 43-year-old woman and her 7-year-old daughter were found in the bedroom during a second search of the home when the blaze was knocked down. Their identities were not released pending notification of next of kin.

Lewis Manning said he believes the victims may be his niece and her boyfriend. When they heard about the fire, they rushed to the home and recognized it as the one the pair lived in.

"She said it was from her niece and it said the house was on fire," he said. "We haven't been able to get in touch with her. Usually she respond on text or a phone call."

Firefighters believe the blaze started outside of the home and then spread inside. Authorities said fire alarms were working and sounding when firefighters arrived. The home was red tagged.

Arson investigators were looking into the cause of the fire. The victims' cause of death will be determined by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Coroner's Office.