Victims of fatal Santa Maria house fire identified as investigators seek cause of blaze
Two Santa Maria women were identified as the victims of a house fire Monday as investigators continue working to pinpoint the cause of the deadly blaze.
On Sunday night, personnel from the Santa Barbara County Fire and Sheriff’s departments along with the Santa Maria Fire Department were dispatched at 10:20 p.m. to the 3300 block of Driftwood Drive in the Tanglewood neighborhood west of Santa Maria.
The Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Bureau on Monday revealed that the women killed were Maria Lopez, 66, and Alicia Lopez-Buenrostro, 56.
They were found in a bedroom and declared dead at the scene, authorities said.
A man at the home, whose name was not released, was taken to Marian Regional Medical Center for treatment of burn and smoke inhalation injuries.
The single-story home was engulfed in flames when the first crews arrived and it took firefighters about 20 minutes to knock down the fire, according to the County Fire Department.
Firefighters remained on scene for several hours doing mop-up and overhaul.
Intense flames were blamed on a pretty extensive fire load in the residence which reportedly was home to 13 people. Fire Department personnel said the house had “excessive contents” inside.
On Monday morning, the fire flared up again after a section of the attic collapsed, but was extinguished by crews, fire Capt. Daniel Bertucelli said.
Investigators were working to determine the cause of the fire, a process that could take some time.
On Monday afternoon, neighbors were keeping a close watch on the home due to concerns about looters.
Others who live in the Tanglewood community were rallying to gather clothing and other belongings for the displaced residents, who reportedly include at least two families who have young children.
Click here for the GoFundMe page to raise money for the families affected by the Tanglewood fire., with $195 raised toward the $20,000 goal.
The Santa Maria Valley has seen fatal house fires around Christmas before.
In 1999, two young brothers, 10 and 12 years old, died when a fire occurred Christmas night in an apartment in the 300 block of South Elizabeth Street. Their parents, a younger sister and a cousin escaped the blaze.
Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.