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Elderly woman killed, her husband injured in Escondido house fire

"They’ve been an anchor in the community for years and years," said neighbor Tonya Scott.

ESCONDIDO, Calif. — An elderly woman is dead and her husband recovering at the hospital after an early morning house fire in Escondido.

The flames erupted just before 2:30 a.m. Thursday morning at the 2400 block of Alexander Drive.

According to San Diego County Sheriff's Deputies, a driver on the freeway saw the fire and called 911.  

"The fire was very well involved when we got here," said Escondido Fire Battalion Chief Tyler Batson. "We left from all the way across the city, we saw the smoke column and the flames."

He said some small explosions were heard.

When crews arrived on the scene, they found a man in his 80s outside the home, suffering from smoke inhalation and burn injuries. He told them his wife was trapped inside upstairs.

They were able to rescue her and transport her to the hospital, but she died from her injuries. According to deputies, she was also in her 80s.

Firefighters also rescued the couple's son. He had been asleep, and was not injured.

He returned to his parents' home late Thursday morning. He told CBS 8 his parents lived in the home for 25 years. He still appeared in shock over what had happened.

Firefighters helped retrieve photo albums from the home. 

"They were one of the first to welcome us into the neighborhood, they have lived here forever," said neighbor Tonya Scott. She lives across the street. "They’ve been an anchor in the community for years and years."

She woke up to the sound of fire truck sirens. 

"We’ve seen fires come to us before in the past, but this one was super close," she said. 

The victim's name hasn't officially been released.

A family friend told CBS 8, the victim's husband is the founder of a church in Escondido and was the pastor there for many years before he retired.

"They’re the kind of people where you know in the next life, they’re going to be okay. They just look after people. My heart goes out to them and their family. They just have blessed so many lives," said Scott.

Firefighters had initially tried to fight the fire from inside the home, but the roof began to collapse, so they attacked it from outside. Nine hours after the fire erupted, you could see small hot spots occasionally flare up.

Crews will remain at the scene until Friday. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. 

This is a developing story, check back later for more information. 

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