Authorities released the name Tuesday of a seventh-grader killed in a pre-dawn fire that gutted his family's Mount Hope home and left his younger siblings hospitalized.
Crews extinguishing the blaze in the 4200 block of J Street found the body of Millennial Tech Middle School student Fernando Castro in his bedroom shortly after midnight Monday, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department and county Medical Examiner's Office. An autopsy determined that the 12-year-old died of burns and smoke inhalation.
Medics took Fernando's brother and sister, believed to be 8 and 6, respectively, to a trauma center, where they were admitted in critical condition.
The children were under the care of a baby sitter when the fire erupted, officials said. She escaped unharmed, but her boyfriend was left with serious burns. He also was taken to a hospital, as were two firefighters who suffered minor injuries while dousing the flames.
Due to the extent of the structural damage, investigators were unable to pin down the cause of the fire, though they concluded it was accidental in nature, SDFRD spokesman Lee Swanson said. They set the monetary losses at $400,000.
The American Red Cross was called in to help the displaced family arrange for interim shelter.
