Elderly Couple Killed In Vallejo House Fire
VALLEJO (CBS SF) - A two-alarm fire killed an elderly couple in their home in southeastern Vallejo late Sunday morning, a Vallejo Fire Department battalion chief said.
Firefighters arrived at the burning home at 307 Ladera Drive around 10:55 a.m.—eight minutes after a neighbor called 911, Battalion Chief Kathryn Harpold said.
Smoke and flames were coming from the front of the single-family home, and neighbors were trying to extinguish the fire with a garden hose, Harpold said.
Neighbors told firefighters an elderly couple lived there, Harpold said.
Firefighters forced open a door in the front of the home and found an 89-year-old woman in the living room. They brought her outside, where paramedics tried to resuscitate her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Solano County coroner's office identified her as Donna Garibaldi. Her autopsy was scheduled for Monday.
An 81-year-old man was later identified as 80-year-old Ugo Garibaldi.
The fire was controlled at 11:06 a.m. The cause is under investigation.
Harpold said the fire does not appear to be suspicious, and that it started in the home's L-shaped living and dining room area, she said.
The couple's son, Jack Fitchner, also lives at the home. He was away on a fishing trip when the fire started and arrived home as firefighters were battling the blaze, Harpold said. In his absence, family friends were looking after the elderly couple, Harpold said.
Garibaldi was an invalid and in poor health, Harpold said.
Nineteen firefighters responded to the blaze, which caused an estimated $125,000 in structural damage, Harpold said.
(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
