Around 4 a.m., the mom and her 8-year-old son were awakened by the sound of a breaking window. They looked up, saw flames, and ran for their lives. Hayward firefighters say they got to the scene in just four minutes, but both the upstairs and downstairs were still engulfed in flames. Crews could tell the fire had moved very rapidly and they soon figured out why.
"She woke up to a loud crash, kind of on the first floor. Something broke through her window she believes, was some form of Molotov cocktail. She says she did see a bottle on the floor, saw some flames, grabbed her son, and headed out," firefighter LaShon Earnest explained.
Asked if she had any idea who might do something like this, the apartment building manager replied, "Someone who don't appreciate life."
Firefighters assessed the damage to the building at $150,000 and the damage to the family's belongings at $20,000. They were able to confine the fire to just the one unit. They say they found the bottle inside the residence and there was indeed an accelerant used to get the fire going.
An arson investigation is under way.
