Elderly Man, Woman Dead After Late Night House Fire In Vacaville
VACAVILLE (CBS13) — A man and woman died after a two-alarm fire at a Vacaville home late Sunday night.
The scene was near the intersection of Scottsdale and Fairview drives. Firefighters say two people were trapped in the home when the fire broke out just before midnight.
Neighbors Stan Martinez and his wife said that they saw the flames roaring from the home as they return home from the store.
"My wife called 911 and handed me the phone. She jumped out and ran up to the front and was banging on the door," Martinez said.
Crews rescued a woman and took her to the hospital. She later died at the hospital. A man and a small dog were found dead inside, firefighters say. The man and woman who died have been identified by the Solano County coroner's office as 92-year-old Raymond McDaniel and 91-year-old Maggie McDaniel.
CBS13 found a Facebook page for Maggie McDaniel and a neighbor across the street confirm it was the couple in the page's profile picture.
Agencies from Dixon and Fairfield responded to help fight the fire. Exactly what caused the fire is still under investigation. But Chief Kris Concepcion of the Vacaville Fire Department told CBS13 that the fire was accidental and may have started in the kitchen area of the home.
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People who live on this block are shocked to hear their kind and friendly neighbors were gone.
"It's a hard thing for anyone. It's not going to be the same not seeing them out here every day," Cindy Caitham, a next-door neighbor, said as she held back tears.
"It's a tragedy that they lost their lives in there," Martinez said,
Concepcion said that finding the man during the second search of the home could be weighing heavy on first responders.
"For them to be able to...to have to discover the elderly male during their secondary search, I can't imagine what's going through their minds," Concepcion said.
Neighbors said they hope they do whatever they can for the McDaniel family.
"I want to see them. I want to give them all big hugs. I'm sorry for what they are going through," Caitham said.
"Prayers to the family and I wish we could've done more," Martinez said.
The Vacaville fire chief said there was a working smoke alarm inside the couple's home.