2 victims of house fire ID’ed

Two of the occupants of the Pleasant Valley manufactured home that caught fire early Thursday morning were identified Friday by officials with the El Dorado County Fire Protection District.

The fire at 4740 Viewpoint Drive was first reported at 12:18 a.m. Thursday morning and appears to be responsible for the death of a 4-year-old boy, whose name has not yet been released.

County Fire Capt. Mike Pott told the Mountain Democrat that the boy’s mother, identified as 27-year-old Jennifer Ewing, and boyfriend Arturo Canales, 28, escaped the Thursday blaze and were treated for minor burns and smoke inhalation at Marshall Hospital.

They have since been discharged.

The residence’s fourth occupant, described by Pott as the boy’s grandfather, was not identified by authorities.

Pott said the child’s autopsy was scheduled for Friday and that his name would likely be released sometime after. On Sunday, however, Pott told the Mountain Democrat the matter now is in the hands of the Sheriff’s Department regarding release of further information on the coroner’s case and the identity of the child. Sheriff’s Lt. Bryan Golmitz said Sunday that the coroner hopes to release the name by the coming week.

One dozen units from local fire districts responded to the fire Thursday morning.

According to Pott, firefighters were told by the occupants that the boy was trapped in the residence. But crews were unable to reach the child in time and found him deceased in a bedroom.

On Thursday, investigators from both the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Department and El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office were at the scene of the fire.

Because of the child’s death, officials were treating the residence as a crime scene, which is standard procedure, according to Pott.

Authorities described the fire as intense. The level of damage to the manufactured home’s interior would likely make determining its point of origin difficult, Pott said Thursday.

As of press time Friday, Pott said he was still unaware whether the residence had working smoke alarms.

The investigation into the fire is ongoing.

E-mail Jim Ratajczak at jratajczak@mtdemocrat.net or call 530-344-5069.