Arson suspected in San Diego house fire that killed three

SAN DIEGO — Arson is suspected in a fire that killed three people Thursday morning at a home in the San Diego community of Mountain View, authorities said.

The blaze broke out shortly before 6:15 a.m. at a single-story house on South 38th Street, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

Neighbors said they heard screams for help but were unable to assist the victims.

Police said the victims — all adults — had not been identified. And while investigators believe the fire was intentionally set, they “do not believe there are any outstanding suspects or dangers to the community at this time,” said Lt. Matt Dobbs of the San Diego Police Department’s homicide unit.

Homicide detectives were involved in the investigation “based on information from the fire department about the cause and origin of the fire,” Dobbs said. “It appears to be intentionally set.”

He confirmed Thursday that the house is considered a crime scene, adding, “We are still trying to find out the circumstances that led up to the fire.”

He said investigators were waiting on a search warrant to process the scene.

Crews found intense smoke and flames coming from one side of the house, Fire-Rescue spokeswoman Mónica Muñoz said. Neighbors told firefighters that people were inside the home when the fire sparked.

One of the crews forced entry and found three people dead, Muñoz said. The other crews battled the blaze and knocked down the flames within 15 minutes. Dobbs said the victims were all found near the front door, which was the only entrance to the house.

Neighbors said steel security gates had been installed on the windows less than three months ago.

The neighbors said that they had heard screams for help from the burning house, and that a husband and wife in their 40s lived there with their adult son.

“We heard the screams, but we couldn’t do anything,” said Sonia Cabrera, who lives across the street.

A dog was found and turned over to a neighbor to keep until animal control workers arrived.

The fire caused an estimated $200,000 in damage to the structure and an estimated $100,000 in damage to its contents, Muñoz said.

Diehl and Hernandez write for the San Diego Union-Tribune. City News Service contributed to this report.