Two women were killed and five others, including an Orange County firefighter, were injured in a fire that destroyed a home for developmentally disabled women in Santa Ana, according to a news report.
The Orange County Fire Authority said that a personal electronic device at the Mary’s Home facility had an electrical failure that started the blaze. Located in the 2100 block of North Hathaway Street in Santa Ana, Mary’s Home is licensed for the care of up to six people with developmental disabilities; there were five residents at the time of the fire.
Mary’s Home co-owner and primary caregiver Lolita Camacho told authorities she was in the kitchen fixing breakfast when a fire alarm sounded. She was able to evacuate two residents immediately; a firefighter saved a third resident and was injured in the process. The other two female residents – one aged 48 and the other aged 52 – perished in the fire.
Fire authorities said that Mary’s Home was not required by law to have sprinklers since it was a small facility. There were smoke detectors in the home, which investigators said helped alert the occupants, but all were unable to escape the fast-moving fire.
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