Only hours after a Hesperia house burned to the ground, family members of the person who died inside were trying to salvage anything they could.
The fire department says the man who lived there was able to save his elderly mother but could not get back into the home in time to save his wife.
"I was just freaking out because I didn't understand what was going on, and we came outside and just to see Nick out here, crying for his wife, he just couldn't get back in to get her, and it was just tragedy," said Jennifer Bedoy, who lives next door.
Bedoy says they felt helpless because there was nothing that could be done.
"You couldn't get near the house, I mean the heat coming off of there was horrible," said Bedoy.
The fire started about 2 a.m. Monday. As the 57-year-old victim ran to save some of her pets, her husband got out through a back door. But after pulling his elderly mother out to safety, the man in his 60s was never able to get back inside to help his wife.
"Just nothing, I mean nothing we can do but just watch, hear Nick cry for his wife," said neighbor Carlos Bedoy. "It was bad."
Investigators have yet to determine the exact cause of the house fire, but the fire department says at this point it looks to be accidental.
"However, the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, but they do know that the fire started towards the front part of the home," said Tracey Martinez, spokesperson for the San Bernardino County Fire Dept.
The victim's husband and his elderly mother were both treated for smoke inhalation.
Neighbors say they'll do what they can to help.
"He's lost his wife, he lost his whole life, in one night, his life is gone," said Jennifer Bedoy. "How do you help him? How do you put it back together?"
