ALHAMBRA — Three men were injured, one of them seriously, while escaping a large, “suspicious” house fire early Sunday, officials said.
The fire was first reported just before 12:30 a.m. at a single-story house in the 1100 block of South Almansor Street, two blocks north of Valley Boulevard, Alhambra Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief and Fire Marshal Ray Mosack said.
The cause of the fire was under investigation, however it initially appeared, “suspicious,” Mosack said.
“Due to the size of the fire and the (rapidly spreading) nature of the fire, it certainly got our suspicions up,” he said.
Firefighters arrived to find, “heavy smoke, with flames through several of the windows,” he said. The fire was most intense in the living area and two bedrooms of the home.
Three of the five middle-age men who live at the home were injured as they fled the rapidly spreading fire, Mosack said.
Two of the residents were nearly trapped in the burning home by security bars on their bedroom windows, as flames blocked their doorways, the chief said.
One of them suffered “moderate” injuries including a badly broken arm when he fell from a window while climbing over the security bars, he said. Another man suffered minor injuries in the same fashion, and a third resident was also treated for minor injuries suffered while escaping the fire.
Mosack said placing security bars on bedroom windows is unsafe and illegal because they can block potential avenues of escape during an emergency such as a fire.
“It keeps the bad guys out, but it keeps the residents in also,” he said.
The relationship between the five men living in the five-bedroom home was not immediately clear, Mosack said. “We’re not quite sure yet of the arrangement.”
Officials estimated the fire caused about $375,000 worth of damage to the home and its contents.
The Red Cross assisted in finding temporary lodgings for the displaces residents.