The Region - News from Oct. 7, 1985

A father died while trying in vain to rescue his 3-year-old daughter from their burning home in South El Monte, but sheriff’s deputies managed to rescue a 2-year-old brother. The bodies of Juan Casio, 36, and his daughter, Christina, were found in a room where they died before Casio could open all three locks that secured the door, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s spokesman said. Two deputies passing by spotted the flames and through a window saw Juan Casio Jr., lying on a blazing kitchen counter. They broke the glass and snatched the baby from the flames. He was in critical condition at County-USC Medical Center with second- and third-degree burns over 80% of his body. Rosa Casio, 34, escaped from the house with a third child, Juliana, 5 months. County fire investigators blamed the fire on a cigarette left smoldering on a couch. Damage was estimated at $80,000.