Person Wakes Up To Use Bathroom, Discovers House On Fire
A person who got up in the middle of the night to use the restroom found the house full of smoke and flames coming from the garage. There were two adults and two children in the home at the time; everyone got out safely.
Fire crews rushed to the 8900 block of El Dorado in the Cielo Vista area shortly before 4 a.m. Friday. The flames had already engulfed three vehicles in the garage, and damaged a fourth. It took crews 40 minutes to bring the fire under control. The damage to the property is estimated at $150,000.
There was no working smoke detector in the house, officials point out. Fire investigators say the device was removed to paint the walls, but was never re-installed.
In a news release, Fire Department spokesman Lt. Mario Hernandez said “this fire could have very easily been a house fire with fatalities had the adult occupant not woken up to use the restroom.” He added smoke detectors increase the chances of surviving a fire inside your home by more than 50 percent.
Fire houses have free smoke detectors available for the public. The person picking it up must be at least 18 years old. Detectors can be picked up Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
