Woman believed to be grandmother killed in North SJ house fire; firefighter and 2 others injured

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- A woman has died and three others, including a firefighter, were hurt in a 3-alarm house fire in North San Jose, fire officials say.

Crews responded to the fire in the 3000 block of Via Montez after 3:30 a.m. where they found the first floor of the home fully involved with flames.

The woman, believed to be the grandmother of the home according to fire officials, was found dead on the second floor of the home.

"My daughter, she came up in the morning, 5 a.m. and she was looking around, she was asking me continuously, Momma what happened, Momma what happened?" Suwarcha Chandra, a neighbor said.

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SJFD confirms that four other people were able to get out, and two were transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

"Crews did find an adult female victim on the second floor deceased at this time," Jesse Allread, a spokesman for the San Jose Fire Department said.

Two of the four people that did get out safely were taken to the hospital, along with one firefighter who was hurt after falling through the floor of a balcony while trying to reach the woman left behind.

Chandra says her family was friends with this family and just had them over Monday night for Diwali celebrations.

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"We greet each other, we took some of the pictures, we were very happy, I was very happy and then suddenly this news is coming, terrible," she said.

The cause of this fire is still under investigation. Per standard protocol in a death investigation, the ATF and arson investigators are now getting involved too.

"Nothing suspicious at this time, arson has been notified, they're en route and that's standard protocol for a fatality fire," Allread said.

The fire was contained and under control by 6:14 a.m.

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