IMPERIAL BEACH, Calif. (KGTV) — The Sheriff's Bomb/Arson Unit is investigating what caused an Imperial Beach apartment fire that killed one person and left several families displaced, as those families now search for a place to stay.
The Sheriff's Office says the fire call came in just before 3:30 a.m. Wednesday. Firefighters arrived to find an apartment on fire at a complex off Palm Avenue and 12th Street in Imperial Beach.
Two people were taken to the hospital for treatment. One later died of their injuries. Neighbors say it was a woman who lived in the first-floor apartment. Her family asked for privacy on scene.
The Sheriff's Bomb/Arson Unit is now working to find the cause of the fire. That is protocol when there's a fire that leads to serious injuries or death.
RELATED: One dead, another hurt in Imperial Beach apartment fire early Wednesday morning
For neighbors, the loss has been difficult to process.
"That's a hard one because you see somebody every day; you see her every morning, if it's going to work or just crossing paths," Carla Ramos said.
Ramos lives in the apartment above the unit where the fire started. She rushed to alert her neighbors as the fire spread.
"I started knocking on all the doors, get out, we need to evacuate, wake up, because it was three in the morning, everyone was asleep," Ramos said.
Another woman who lives nearby described the chaotic moments when she heard the commotion from the fire. Josefina Trevino woke up to screams outside her apartment Wednesday as firefighters responded.
"I see a gentleman get on the wall and he gets his hose out, and then I see all the smoke and I hear someone yelling, 'Ama' mom mom 'ama,'" Trevino said.
The Ramos family is now looking trying to figure out where they'll live while their apartment is cleaned for smoke and electrical damage.
The Red Cross provided some assistance, but they're now turning to GoFundMe for additional help.
"There's five of us and our dog, so that's two bedrooms because they won't let us all in one room, so that's going to be even harder, if not it's like we have our cars, and that's sad," Ramos said.
If you'd like to contribute to the Ramos family GoFundMe click here.
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