Merced investigators seek answers in house fire that killed two children

Two children were killed during a fire Monday night in their south Merced home, according to Merced City Fire officials.

The flames started at about 10:06 p.m. near the back of the home at 954 W 10th St., Battalion Chief Jeremy Franklin said.

Authorities didn’t release the names or ages of the children Tuesday morning because of the ongoing investigation, Franklin said.

The names of the two children won't be released for "quite some time" because of the extent of their injuries, said Deputy Daryl Allen, with the Merced County Sheriff's Office.

The mother of the two children was also inside the home during the fire, Franklin confirmed.

Rosendo Trejo has lived next door to the house for 30 years. He was home with his daughter watching television at the time of the fire. Trejo’s daughter was in the bathroom when they both started hearing “desperate screams” outside.

“A woman was yelling for help.” the 64-year-old said in Spanish. “So I went outside while my daughter called” for help. The woman was running around frantically, he said.

Fire and smoke were coming through the attic and garage of his neighbors home, Trejo said. He grabbed his hose and started to spray the blaze from the roof of his house, he said. Flames started coming near his home but he was able to keep them from spreading.

Firefighters arrived on scene Monday night to find the back of the house in flames. Battalion Chief Michael Wilkinson said firefighters quickly searched the house after learning two people were trapped inside. He said there were two fatalities. Authorities later confirmed both victims were children.

No other injuries were reported.

Fire officials are still on scene investigating where the fire started and the cause, Franklin said.

Merced Police Capt. Bimley West said city police detectives worked with fire investigators throughout the night interviewing witnesses and examining evidence at the scene.

"They're working to determine whether there are any suspicious circumstances surrounding the tragic deaths of these two young children," West said.

West on Tuesday said it was too early to comment on specific evidence in the case and said it was too early to rule out any possibilities.

This is a developing story.

Monica Velez: 209-385-2486, @monicavelez21

This story was originally published April 24, 2018 at 8:38 AM with the headline "Merced investigators seek answers in house fire that killed two children."