Santee Mobile-Home Fire Seriously Injures 'Elderly' Resident

SANTEE, CA — A midday fire at a Santee mobile-home park left a woman seriously injured Wednesday, displaced her and another resident and killed at least one of their many pet cats.

The blaze erupted shortly after noon in the 10000 block of Buena Vista Avenue, just north of state Route 52 and west of Cottonwood Avenue, according to the Santee Fire Department.

When firefighters arrived, several people standing outside the burning trailer home informed them that a resident possibly was still inside.

Crews entered the heavily cluttered, smoke-filled structure, found an unconscious woman and pulled her to safety, Santee Fire Chief Justin Matsushita said. They performed CPR on the resident, who was described as elderly, at the scene before paramedics took her to a hospital.

Firefighters also found "a lot" of cats in the residence -- neighbors estimated anywhere from seven to 20 lived there -- and some of the animals survived, though at least one did not, Matsushita said.

The American Red Cross was called in to help the residents of the gutted mobile home arrange for emergency shelter.

The cause of the blaze was under investigation, the fire chief said.

— City News Service