Mother, daughter escape trailer fire in Chula Vista that killed roommate

One person was killed and two others were injured in a trailer fire that sparked Sunday morning in Chula Vista.

The Chula Vista Fire Department responded to the fire at 4 a.m. on the corner of Colorado Avenue and Crested Butte Street.

Firefighters put out the flames in the backyard parallel to the home. Two trailers and a boat were destroyed, according to CVFD. Firefighters said they found one person dead inside one of the trailers, and two others were taken to the hospital.

The deceased victim has not been identified. A mother who escaped the fire with her daughter told NBC 7 she was woken up by the flames.

"I looked up at the whole roof and the whole trailer was engulfed with fire," said the woman, who didn't want to be identified. "I was able to open [the door] and jump out, and I started screaming for him, telling him 'Come on, get out!' And I ran around and I started screaming his name, then I saw him dangling from the window. I was trying to pull and pull but I couldn't get him out.

The woman said she tried screaming for help but nobody came.

"Thank God we're OK," she said. "[The victim] was a really good friend of mine. He's going to be missed."

Neighbors were jolted awake by the sound of screaming and the smell of smoke.

NBC 7 spoke with a next-door neighbor who did not want to be identified. Part of her backyard was damaged by the fire, which was captured on her Ring doorbell camera.

The neighbor said she had seen people living in the trailers that caught fire coming in and out of the owner's backyard. She said it's been a problem since she moved into the neighborhood seven years ago. It's an issue that she brought to the attention of CVPD and she said she's upset that nothing was done at the time. She believes the fire could have been prevented.

Luis Rios lives right across the street from the home where the fire started. He told NBC 7 that he's seen transients coming and going from the property.

"I always see a lot of people, different persons. They don't live here. Always different kinds of people. Regularly I saw only two persons that was living there. The guy between 40 and 45, and the guy 60 or 65. The other persons, they just come sometimes ... they stay here like one week and they go... and then comes another person," said Rios.

Rios was woken up by his daughter when the fire started. That's when he jumped out of bed, looked outside and saw what was happening. He didn't expect anything like this to happen in his neighborhood.

"The community is good, only really see problems with this house. The police come right here because they have complaints with the guy," Rios added.

The homeowner told NBC 7 he's had people living in his backyard who he doesn't even know.

CVFD is handling the investigation moving forward. NBC 7 reached out to CVFD and CVPD and is still waiting to hear back.