House fire in Calif. desert town kills father, 2 boys; 10-year-old girl in critical condition

Calif. house fire kills dad, 2 boys; girl injured

HESPERIA, Calif. — A father and his two sons have been killed in an early morning house fire that also critically injured the boys’ 10-year-old sister.

Authorities in the Southern California desert town of Hisperia say a neighbor called for help after hearing the mother screaming early Monday.

Fire department spokeswoman Tracey Martinez says the mother suffered cuts on her arms when she broke windows in an effort to rescue the others. She got her daughter out but the girl was hospitalized in critical condition for treatment of burns and smoke inhalation.

Authorities say 33-year-old Gabriel Pineda Hernandez and 9-year-old Gabriel Pineda were dead at the scene and 4-year-old Christian Pineda was pronounced dead at a hospital.

Martinez says the fire began on a back porch and the cause was under investigation.