Neighbors mourn loss of two children found dead following house fire south of Modesto

Two children were among four people found dead following a house fire in a small community south of Modesto on Tuesday night.

The Ceres and Westport fire departments responded to the fire at a mobile home in the 5300 block of Avenue D, off Crows Landing Road, about 11 p.m.

Neighbors reported hearing a loud explosion, then coming outside to find the home engulfed in flames.

The home was set about 50 yards back on the property behind a locked wrought-iron fence. Firefighters had to access the home from the next-door neighbor’s property.

After extinguishing the blaze, firefighters discovered a body in the home, Stanislaus County sheriff’s Sgt. Anthony Bejaran said. Sheriff’s Department detectives and investigators with the Stanislaus Regional Fire Investigation Unit responded to the scene.

A backhoe was used to sort through the burnt rubble and investigators found three more bodies. Bejaran said the bodies are those of two males and two females.

Citlalli Arredondo, 12, who lives next-door, said a 6-year-old boy and 10-year-old girl lived in the mobile home with their grandparents. She would talk to them over their shared fence and they would show her their chickens and cats.

Jay Simmonds, assistant superintendent of Ceres Unified, confirmed the two children killed were students at Westport Elementary School.

With 20 minutes left in the school day before letting out for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Simmonds said the decision was made not to tell students about the tragedy, but extra counselors will be at the school Monday.

“We’re just in grief, in shock,” Simmonds said. “It’s heart-wrenching.”

Citlalli said she saw the children Tuesday morning when she and they were on their way to school. Her mom rolled down the car window and they waved at each other and said goodbye.

“My mom didn’t stop crying this morning just by meeting them a little bit, they got to our hearts,” she said.

Citlalli’s father, Robert Arredondo, also was saddened by the news. “I was hoping and praying they were not home,” he said.

He said he was sitting on his couch watching TV when he heard an explosion. “It literally shook us off the couch and the windows just vibrated,” Arredondo said. “When we looked out, we saw the neighbor’s house was in flames.”

Mike Tubera, who lives across the street, said he was awakened by the sound, which he said “was like a bomb.” He went outside to see flames 30 to 40 feet high.

Arredondo said it’s his understanding that the first body was discovered near the front of the home about 2 a.m. Wednesday. The other three bodies were found later that morning and early in the afternoon.

Detectives will conduct a death investigation and the fire investigators will try to determine the origin and cause of the blaze, Bejaran said. Autopsies are scheduled for Monday.

Investigators ask anyone who has information on the fire to call Detective Kamila Sulkowski at 209-525-7032.

Anyone with information can leave an anonymous tip by calling Crime Stoppers at 209-521-4636. Tipsters can also email information at www.modestopolice.com/CrimeStoppers, or text tips to CRIMES (274637) by typing “Tip704” plus the message; tipsters are eligible for a cash reward.

Bee staff writer Nan Austin contributed to this report.

This story was originally published November 23, 2016 at 5:37 PM with the headline "Neighbors mourn loss of two children found dead following house fire south of Modesto."