3 die in fire; short circuit suspected

Illegal hook-ups common in Tijuana
By Anna Cearley
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

TIJUANA – Samuel Alberto Vazquez Fierro, 22, tried to save his wife and two young children as flames consumed their home, made of wood and cardboard, yesterday morning.

Now he's being treated for burns over 80 percent of his body, and firefighters say he might not survive. His wife and sons died in the blaze.

It is common for poorer residents to siphon electricity from power lines. The illegal connections are called “diablitos,” and they often short-circuit, which was what led to yesterday's fire in a section of the city called Colonia Salvatierra, said fire chief Marco Antonio Sanchez Navarro.

“We haven't been able to figure out exactly where it started because it consumed the entire house,” he said. “The mother and children were trapped inside, and the neighbors said the father tried to get them outside.”

Sanchez said firefighters arrived at the scene 15 minutes after they got the call but had no access to a water line. The crew used their own portable water tanks to prevent the fire from spreading. A nearby house was partly burned, Sanchez said.

-As winter sets in and the nights get cold in the desert, this will happen more and more. -mm