A dad has died alongside his two young daughters after bravely trying to rescue them from a fire at their home.
Juan Moreno helped his wife Christina rescue their baby girl and 11-year old daughter Jaelyn from the fire in their apartment in Helmet, California - in the early hours of Friday, according to the fire service.
But he died at the scene alongside his other daughters Janessa, 4, and Maria, aged 12, after going back into the building to rescue them.
And now his 8-year-old son Isaac, initially airlifted to hospital following the blaze, has died from his injuries.
The couple's neighbours claim the fire started in the family’s Christmas tree which was right next to the front door.
Fire ripped through a two-story apartment complex forcing many residents to flee the building, losangeles.cbslocal reported .
One neighbour said: “I just don’t understand how it just got that bad, that quick.”
It took several hours for firefighters to tackle the blaze.
The bodies were found by firefighters in bedrooms inside the apartment.
Hemet Fire Chief Scott Brown said: "The fire was rapidly spreading, so they (the firefighters) were confronted with immediate rescue needs, as well as keeping the fire contained to the building of origin.
“These buildings are old, they don’t have fire stops, fire spreads very quickly.”
The cause of the fire is still being investigated by the Helmet fire service.
A neighbour said she was told by the mother that the blaze was caused by a Christmas tree.
She said: “She was trying to put it out when it first started, and I didn’t know what she was doing, but when she couldn’t control it, she screamed for me to come help her.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to pay for the family's funeral and medical costs and has already raised more than £20,000.
