2 children, grandmother killed in West Covina apartment fire

WEST COVINA, Calif. - A family is left heartbroken after two young children and their grandmother were killed in a fire at an apartment complex in West Covina Sunday, authorities said.

Witnesses said the grandmother was babysitting her grandchildren while their parents went on a date.

The fire broke out inside a unit in the complex located in the 1900 block of East Amar Road, near Shadow Oak Drive, and was reported just before 1 a.m.

Nearby residents were evacuated as flames spread to other units. It's unclear at this time the extent of damages to the property.

"Due to the severity of the fire, officers were unable to gain entry," police said. "Officers conducted evacuations of surrounding apartments. Fire department personnel made an aggressive fire attack due to reports of persons trapped. Once the fire was extinguished by fire personnel it was determined that three people, believed to be an adult female and two small children were found deceased."

A GoFundMe has been set up for the family.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation and the names of the victims have not been released.

City News Service contributed to this report.