A family was trapped inside their Mid-City home as a fire raged on Sunday morning (January 3).
Luckily, they were rescued from the blaze after one of them reached their hand out of a window's security bars and grabbed onto a firefighter.
According to FOX5, the fire broke out around 6:00 AM. at the home on Malcolm Drive in the Rolando neighborhood.
Firefighters received reports of heavy smoke and flames coming from the single-story home and were told that a large family was trapped inside, according to Batt. Chief Mike McBride with San Diego Fire-Rescue.
A firefighter was heading toward the side of the house when "a family member reached out through that window (and) grabbed him by the arm,” McBride said.
“They cut the bars off of that window, dragged probably four to five people out of that position,” he said.
A total of six people were rescued and another person made it to safety on their own as crews worked to put out the blaze, according to SDFD. There were five adults and two children.
One family member suffered severe burns and was rushed to UC San Diego Medical Center. The others were later taken to the hospital to receive help for smoke inhalation.
McBride explained that access to the home was tough for crews because the house is located on an inclined and narrow road. Crews had to leave their vehicles on University Avenue, shutting down the area for several hours.
According to FOX5, the SDFD Metro Arson Strike Team will determine the cause of the blaze.