Multiple Occupants Rescued at San Diego House Fire

Seven people were injured, including one who suffered severe burns, after flames tore through a house in the community of Rolando Sunday morning, officials said.

Fire investigators are investigating the blaze, which caused an estimated $750,000 in damage and left the home uninhabitable.

The two-alarm fire was reported just after 6 a.m. on Malcolm Drive near Cartagena Drive.

Fire crews arrived about five minutes later and saw flames and thick smoke coming from the home, according to San Diego Fire- Rescue officials. Firefighters were told several people were trapped inside.

Battalion Chief Mike McBride told OnScene TV that crews immediately started removing bars that blocked the home's windows. About 15 minutes after their arrival, a family member trapped in the house reached out of one of the windows and grabbed a firefighter by the arm, McBride said. Fire crews immediately cut the bars away and pulled several residents to safety.

Firefighters who made their way to the back of the house located an elderly family member who managed to escape but had been seriously burned, McBride said. That person was immediately rushed to a hospital.

Another six family members also were taken to hospitals. Their injuries were not specified. The seven victims ranged in age from 10 to 78. Five are adults and two are children.

It took about an hour to get the blaze under control, and firefighters from La Mesa and El Cajon were called in to assist. Fire officials estimate that the fire caused about $500,000 in damage to the house and about $250,000 in damage to the home's contents.

There were no obvious signs of foul play, McBride said.

This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune.