One person dead, another injured in deadly Watsonville house fire

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION-TV) -- A woman is dead and a man was left critically injured after a house caught on fire in Watsonville on Sunday night.

According to Watsonville Fire Battalion Chief Corey Schaefer, the fire broke out at home on Cedar Drive around 7:50 p.m. Sunday. Neighbors let Chief Schaefer and the fire crews know about the two people inside.

Both people in the home were rescued with a man critically injured and airlifted to Santa Clara Valley Hospital for treatment. A 64-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene after resuscitation efforts were made.

Chief Schaefer emphasized that with night fire, many people will have trouble managing the smoke produced from a fire.

"If they're asleep, it's very important to shut your doors to your bedrooms and your children's doors to their bedrooms, because with that, it could prevent the smoke traveling into those areas," Chief Schaefer said. "Because quite often you're not going to realize it's to get out until it's too late."

The identities and connections between the two victims have not been released. The fire is still under investigation as crews begin to assess the damage.