Yahoo News Father and 2 Kids Dead in Fire at Fla. Home, Mom and 3-Year-Old Son Survive: 'Tragedy Beyond Words'
The mother reportedly told first responders that her 3-year-old son had woken her up to warn her about the blaze
Three family members are dead and two are injured after a fire burned a mobile home in Florida on Monday, according to local authorities.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) said a father and two of his children were killed in the blaze that broke out at the home on Pritcher Road in Lithia.
Upon arrival, first responders found two people outside and the exterior of the home "engulfed in flames," according to a statement from the HCSO.
Veronica Bermudez, 22, and her son Elijah Lopez, 3, had managed to escape their home, the sheriff's office said. Bermudez reportedly burned her arms and hair while attempting to rescue her family.
But three others — Bermudez's husband Angel Lopez Sr., 22, and their two other children Angel Lopez Jr., 5, and Harmony Lopez, 14 months — did not make it out alive.
First responders were initially alerted to the blaze at 1:02 p.m., according to Patch.com. The HCSO said it took crews 12 minutes to arrive at the scene.
Sheriff Chad Chronister said the mother "had just got out of the house" with her 3-year-old child and pleaded for help, according to video shared by the HCSO from a press conference on Monday.
Bermudez told first responders that her 3-year-old son woke her up to warn her of the fire, Chronister added, according to CBS affiliate WTSP.
"He was mom's notifier," Bermudez's cousin Suzette Pena said, per the report. "He walked in the room telling her, 'Mommy, mommy, the house was on fire! The house was on fire!' She was able to run outside with him."
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The HCSO said first responders did their best to rescue the victims, but were unable to do so due to the amount of fire and heat coming from the home.
One photo from the scene, shared by the HCSO, shows a portion of the roof that collapsed into the structure during the fire.
The mother and son were eventually transported to an area hospital in stable condition, according to the HCSO.
"This scene has all of our responders shaken," Chronister said, per Monday's statement from the sheriff's office. "Losing three lives, especially two children, is a tragedy beyond words."
An investigation into the fire and its cause is ongoing.
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