Oceanside CA— At approximately 10:30pm on December, 16, 2014 a fire broke out in an apartment complex at 3950 Waring Road #238 near Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside.
Dispatchers related to responding officers and firefighters that a woman was screaming for help in the apartment.
Prior to officers arriving, a mother safely dropped her three year old son from a second floor balcony to a neighbor below. That neighbor then helped the mother out of the apartment.
The first officer arrived and found heavy smoke coming from inside the apartment. He was told that there were people still inside.
Neighbors had already broken down the door to the apartment. The officer went into the apartment and with the use of his flashlight was able to see a person laying on the floor. He was able to drag the unconscious person out of the apartment. The officer was nearly overcome by smoke inhalation as well.
He handed his flashlight to neighbor Jonathon Alvarez. Alvarez looked inside the apartment and told the officer there was another unconscious person inside the apartment. The officer and Alvarez went inside and dragged another unconscious victim from the apartment.
The mother (who dropped her son from the balcony) and her son were treated at TCMC and later released. The other two occupants were flown to the UCSD Burn Center. The officer and another subject was also treated at the TCMC Emergency Room.
An arson investigator from OPD was called out along with the FD arson investigator. A total of six people were treated transported and treated.