Six family members killed in house fire

HAPPY VALLEY, CALIF. — Six family members, including at least one teenager, were killed Tuesday when a predawn fire swept through a house in the Shasta County community of Happy Valley.

Sheriff’s Capt. Dave Compomizzo said investigators believe the cause of the blaze may have been arson because of “how fast it started, the potential of flammable liquids, as well as the condition of the victims.”

“It’s definitely suspicious,” Compomizzo said.

Firefighters were called to the single-story, four-bedroom home at 4:45 a.m. Compomizzo said bodies were found throughout the residence.

Some of the victims were burned so severely that dental records and DNA would have to be used to confirm their identities. Authorities believe the victims range in age from the teens to the 60s.

Jeffrey Crow, a newspaper carrier for the Record Searchlight of Redding, said he came upon the blaze while delivering papers and heard screams coming from inside. He said the intensity of the heat and flames prevented him from going inside.

Investigators were questioning a seventh resident of the house, who told them he left for work before the blaze began.

“He was the last person at the residence that we know of, so in that sense he’s definitely a person of interest,” Compomizzo said late Tuesday. “But he’s not a suspect. He has not been booked.”