West Covina, Los Angeles County, CA: Firefighters battled an apartment blaze early Sunday morning, Mar. 5, in the city of West Covina where three people, believed to be an adult female and two small children, were found deceased, according to the West Covina Fire Department.

The fire department was dispatched at 12:54 a.m. for a structure fire on the 1900 block of East Amar Road. Initial responding crews encountered heavy fire conditions coming from multiple windows and doors at an apartment unit in the complex, prompting a call for a second alarm, according to Fire Engineer Ryan Schwartz with the City of West Covina Fire Department. Assistance arrived from multiple Los Angeles County Fire Department units.

Firefighters along with responding police officers, evacuated multiple residents in the complex.

Knockdown was eventually achieved.

Schwartz confirmed there was at least one fatality when he spoke to Key News Network at the time of the fire. Late afternoon Sunday, the fire department confirmed in a news release of the incident that three lives were lost.

“Fire department personnel made an aggressive fire attack due to reports of persons trapped,” West Covina FD stated in the release.

West Covina FD reported that due to the severity of the fire, officers were unable to gain entry.

There was severe fire and smoke damage to one unit and potentially smoke damage to the adjoining units on either side, said Schwartz.

Victor, a witness and resident at the complex who spoke to Key News Network on camera, said the fire was a “really big fire right in front of us” and that a family with very young children lived in the apartment.

A woman sitting on grass near the burned unit was heard crying in anguish and saying it was her three-year-old baby that had passed away in the fire.

The cause of the fire and incident is still currently under investigation, West Covina FD stated.

Randy Dominguez, Video Journalist / KNN

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