Massive house fire kills elderly man, 5 dogs in Pinon Hills

PINON HILLS, Calif. (KABC) -- San Bernardino County firefighters responded to a deadly house fire late Monday night that killed a wheelchair-bound elderly man and five dogs.

Firefighters said the blaze broke out around 11 p.m. at a home in Pinon Hills. Alvino Orozco, 82, was sleeping inside the house at the time.

Alvino's son, Matt Orozco, said his sister woke up to a loud sound at the back of the home.

"She looked out in the back, saw the fire looking pretty intense, panicked, obviously, and ran into the bedrooms to find both our aunt and my father," Matt Orozco said.

He said his sister managed to get their great-aunt out of the house, but by the time she went back to save her father, she was overcome by smoke.

"She just had to make a very tough decision to get herself out of the house," Matt Orozco said.

He said his sister was devastated that she was unable to save her father and five of the family's dogs.

Firefighters said they attempted to save the victim and the dogs but were unable to. It took 25 firefighters more than an hour to get the blaze under control, officials said.

"It went up in minutes. Within minutes it was blazing," said Roberta Busto, a neighbor who witnessed the fire. "I was out taking care of my dogs and this huge fire just erupted."

The family said their father had been wheelchair-bound after a recent back surgery. They said coping with the death of their father is especially difficult because their mother recently died in December.

"You almost hope that you just wake up, but at some point, we are going to have to move forward and cherish the memories," Matt Orozco said.

Firefighters said the cause of the blaze is still undetermined.