Crime & Safety

Fire Burns Under Bedroom Floor

Resident escapes unharmed after long-smoldering fire escalates.

A smoldering fire was extinguished under a home on the 3300 block of Portola Drive Saturday morning.

A neighbor called 911 to report smoke and fire under the home about 7:45 a.m. By the time the firefighters arrived, the home's lone resident had escaped unharmed, and smoke was billowing up from the house, according to Central Fire Protection District reports.

The resident said she smelled smoke after having trouble sleeping, according to fire district reports. She got out of bed to find her home full of smoke and left to call 911 from a neighbor's home, reports said.

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Firefighters contained the fire underneath the floor under the home's bedroom. The home is uninhabitable, though, as hoses were stretched under the home and holes were drilled through the floor, reports said.

Preliminary investigations show the fire was caused by faulty wiring in the home and had been smoldering "for a long period of time," reports said.

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A smoke alarm was in the home—but wasn't working—reports said. Power was cut off, and the resident moved to temporary lodging.

The fire was contained five minutes after firefighters arrived, reports said; it was under control within 45 minutes.

Two engines, one truck, one rescue vehicle, 12 firefighters, one fire prevention officer and one chief officer from Central Fire Protection District responded.


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