1 killed, 2 injured after fire rips through mobile home park in Fullerton

FULLERTON, Calif. (KABC) -- One person was killed and two others were injured after a fire ripped through a mobile home park in Fullerton Tuesday.

The fire started around 5 a.m. in the 1800 block of Orangethorpe Avenue, according to the Fullerton Fire Department.

AIR7 was over the scene where at least three mobile homes were engulfed in flames. It appeared the roof collapsed on one of the units.

The person who died has not been identified, but a friend said the victim was a man in his late 30s.

The conditions of the two people hospitalized were not available.

Allen Lidar, who lives in the community, said his security camera captured the moment the fire ignited.

"It was about a 25-30-foot fire," Lidar said.

He recalled rushing to get his family and pets out of their home.

"I basically ran into my house and grabbed my wife and my dogs," he told Eyewitness News. "We didn't grab anything else."

Sonia Garcia has lived in her home since 2009. The fire broke out right next door, and she woke up to the sound of it. Garcia managed to escape, but the fire spread quickly. Her home was one of the properties impacted by the fire.

She's grateful her pet turtle survived but is devastated for her community.

Fire crews brought the blaze under control within 25 minutes.

"Mobile homes are usually challenging fires due to the construction and also the proximity to other mobile homes within mobile home parks," said Deputy Chief Jon Fugitt of the Fullerton Fire Department. "That's why I like to remind everybody to check their smoke detectors and change the batteries whenever you change your clocks."

Fullerton fire officials and police investigators were still on scene hours later, combing through the charred wreckage to try and determine how it started.