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It happened yesterday afternoon in a double house fire in a yard on Flamboyant Street - where, amidst the chaos, there was heroism to save a burning woman's life. We were at the scene today:...

Jules Vasquez reporting
Every time Fallon Gamboa walks through her house, it's like reliving the memory again, of all she lost in a few raging minutes of a fire in free burn.

At 4:30 yesterday on Flamboyant Street, the fire devoured two small structures and damaged a third - all of them in the same yard - home to 8 people.

The fire started in this structure where a guest, Elena Reina was sleeping. Michael Bowen was in the adjoining building and ran out to see a three headed fire:

Michael BOWEN, FIRE VICTIM
"When I look in the house over there I saw 3 fires: one by the table, one by the bed and one by the chair. The man who lives next Door Mr. Greg, he and I tried to out the ones that we could. I out the ones by the table and the chair, but the one by the bed couldn't out. We didn't notice that she was on the bed. When we saw her feet, we dashed water on her and she woke up. She was dizzy a little bit and was still on the bed. When she saw it was fire, she gt up and walk come out and after that the whole place catch fire."

Reporter
"So she has been burnt though?"

Michael BOWEN, FIRE VICTIM
"Yes, she got burnt bad. Her skin was peeling off."

Reporter
"Even when she was being burnt she didn't wake?"

Michael BOWEN, FIRE VICTIM
"No, we had to dashed water on her and that was how she got up."

Reporter
"So you guys saved her life."

Michael BOWEN, FIRE VICTIM
"Yes."

Saved her from being consumed by fire, but Elena Reina is at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital - in a critical condition with burns to her face, chest, both arms and thighs.

For Fallon Gamboa, who lived in the adjoining building, she raced home from work to see everything new from the Christmas gone, including charred Christmas cake:

Fallon Gamboa, Fire Victim
"Everything got damaged for us. His house was totaled. Mine, I had just fixed up before Christmas and everything is gone. My baby had just gotten some brand new stuff, tablet, phone - they ran left everything. Nothing didn't save and when I came from work and yes the fire was on, but I still went inside to see what I could have taken out, like the clothes and stuff, but they were still burnt."

"I don't know how I am standing up, only God knows. My whole inside is hurting me from last night. I havent slept. I got up from after 3am this morning and I am still up right now."

Anyone wanting to help Fallon Gamboa's family can call 6311281.

Multiple reports to the Fire Department and Police say Reina had been drinking and that may have played a part in her sleeping through the fire.