A Rancho Bernardo woman was hospitalized in critical condition after she ran inside a burning condo to save her pets, neighbors said.
San Diego Fire-Rescue crews to a fire inside a two-story condo at 11247 Avenida de los Lobos near the intersection of Camino Del Norte and Bernardo Center Drive, west of Interstate 15.
Flames broke out just after 7 a.m. when a couple was inside the home. Neighbors told NBC 7 the couple made it out safely but the wife ran back into the condo unit to save their dog and cat.
The woman was found in a back bedroom, according to fire officials. Her husband was taken to the hospital with smoke inhalation. One was transported to Palomar Hospital and another was transported to the UC San Diego Regional Burn Center.
The fire ripped through the ground floor unit then threatened an upstairs condo. An investigation determined cigarettes in a corner sparked the fire, damaging a downstairs unit and an upstairs unit, officials said.
Two family pets did not survive the fire.
