Neighbors rush to help as deadly Alhambra fire tears through home; 1 person dead, several hurt

ALHAMBRA, Calif. () — One person is dead and several others are in the hospital after a fire tore through a home in Alhambra.

Video from the aftermath shows the front window of the home broken, where first responders and bystanders tried to save people stuck inside as the flames grew.

The fire broke out at the property on South Curtis Avenue just before 11 p.m. Friday. Neighbors said it quickly turned into a race against time.

Video from the scene shows smoke and fire pouring from the home as crews arrived to reports of people stuck inside.

Officials said four adults lived on the property — two in the front house and two in the back house.

Firefighters immediately shifted into rescue mode when they arrived, getting multiple burn victims out and sending them to hospitals. One person did not survive and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Shocking cellphone video shows police and neighbors breaking through windows and walls, trying to find the victims. The smoke was so thick, first responders were barely able to see.

The city said two patients with burn injuries lived in the back house, and the people who were trapped were in the front house.

Eyewitness News spoke to one neighbor who helped officers break into the house to help rescue the trapped victims.

“We’ve never seen this, at least I’ve never seen this in the past 26 years I’ve been living at this property. So yeah, it’s incredible,” said the neighbor, who wanted to remain anonymous. “Ugh. I was really… I was actually pretty sad. It just sucks, knowing that your neighbor has passed away. How would you feel? It’s like family almost.”

Eyewitness News spoke to another Good Samaritan who ran toward the danger, trying to save lives.

“I ran toward the fire, and I saw my neighbor with the hose,” said the neighbor. “I know all of my neighbors, and we’re close-knit, and we say, ‘Hi’ to each other, and I just wanted to help them. We wanted to come together and make sure we got everybody out of that house.”

Neighbors said the chaos was overwhelming, watching firefighters and police push through thick smoke and not knowing who was still inside.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Fire officials say multiple agencies responded, and they are now working to figure out how the fire started.

The family of the victims told Eyewitness News that the family had lived at the home for almost 30 years.