Recently in fire Category

TEMPLE CITY -- An elderly Temple City man who was pulled from his burning house by good Samaritans and a sheriff's deputy Friday died at the hospital Friday night, officials said.
Wayne Weber, 86, died at the hospital about six hours after the 2:50 p.m. fire at his home in at 10165 Bogue Street in Temple City, coroner's and sheriff's officials said.
Deputy Reynaldo Lainez and the good Samaritans found Weber lying down in the flaming house with burns covering 80 percent of his body, Lainez said.
The deputy himself was hospitalized for smoke inhalation following the incident.

TEMPLE CITY -- An elderly Temple City man was hospitalized with burns over 80 percent of his body Friday after a sheriff's deputy and a group of good Samaritans pulled him from his burning house, authorities said.
The 87-year-old resident, who suffered first-, second- and third-degree burns, was in critical condition, Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Fred Stowers said.
The deputy was hospitalized for smoke inhalation and released several hours later, officials said. The three good Samaritans were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.
Stowers said the actions of the deputy and good Samaritans likely saved the resident's life, Stowers said.
"I think if it hadn't have been for them going in we probably would have been dealing with a lot worse."
The blaze was reported at a single-story about 2:50 p.m. at 10165 Bogue Street, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Mark Glatt said.
Sheriff's deputy Reynaldo Lainez was the first official to arrive at the scene and quickly learned there was an elderly man inside the burning home, the lieutenant said.
"After entering once and being forced out by the heat and smoke, Deputy Lainez entered a second time, located an 87-year-old male and sole occupant lying on the floor," sheriff's officials said in a written statement,
Lainez and a group of three good Samaritans entered the burning house to rescue the man, who was found lying on the floor, he said.
"Apparently, he may have fallen in either an effort to get out of the house, or as he got overcome with smoke," Stowers said.
Lainez and the good Samaritans pulled the injured man from the house, officials said.
Lainez said he was arriving at the scene of the fire when he was flagged down by a woman who told him there was someone inside the home.
Lainez went to the back of the home and entered through an open sliding glass door, he said, where he found the elderly man lying on the floor, and some good Samaritans already inside trying to get the man out.
"There were flames right next to him," Lainez said. "The smoke was really black and thick."
After being forced out of the home briefly by the smoke, the deputy and good Samaritans worked together to pull the 6-foot tall, 200 pound man from the house, Lainez said.
Lainez said he was glad the others were there to assist.
"It would have been very difficult to pull him out (myself)," he said.
Firefighters showed up about a minute after the man was pulled from the home, Lainez added.
The deputy said he was only doing his duty.
The fire appeared to have been contained mainly to the dining room of the home and a patio, Stowers said. The fire appeared to have caused about $75,000 worth of damage.
Stowers said firefighters were unable to find any smoke detectors in the home.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation late Friday.

SOUTH EL MONTE -- A fire destroyed a South El Monte home Friday, but injured no one, authorities said.
The blaze was first reported at 6:17 p.m. at 3042 Potrero Avenue, just north of Garvey Avenue, Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Ruben Torrez said.
The small house's only resident arrived home and opened the front door, "and to his amazement, the whole inside was on fire," the captain said.
The first fire engine arrived five minutes later and found the house involved in heavy smoke and fire, Dispatch Supervisor Bernard Peters said. The residents had already gotten themselves out of the home.
Firefighters extinguished the flames about 15 minutes after the fire was reported, Peters said.
The home was under construction and there were very few items inside, Torrez said. The value of the damage was estimated at $60,000.
The cause of the fire was under investigation, Torrez said, however it started in a bedroom and initially appeared to be electrical in nature.
The captain added that the displaced man told authorities he would stay with friends in the immediate future.

PASADENA -- A fire caused about $350,000 worth of damage to a Pasadena home Sunday, authorities said.
The blaze was reported just after 4:30 p.m. at a large, two-story home in the 300 block of Manford Way, Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.
A man and woman were displaced in the fire, but were going to find temporary lodgings with friends or relatives, Derderian said.
Firefighters encountered flames in the walls and attic of the home upon arrival, she said.
About 28 firefighters extinguished the fire in about 20 minutes, she added.
Two cats were missing after the fire, Derderian said, however officials believe they escaped the blaze.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.

PHOTO courtesy of the Pasadena Fire Department

PASADENA -- A fire damaged a house and displaced two families Saturday, officials said.
The blaze was reported about 9:20 p.m. at 1438 N. Garfield Avenue, Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.
The fire caused about $100,000 worth of damage to the house and its contents, officials said.
Two families - amounting to seven children and four adults -- were displaced by the blaze, authorities said. The Red Cross placed on of the families at a nearby motel, while the other family chose to stay with relatives.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation, officials said, and firefighters requested city officials inspect the home.

SOUTH EL MONTE -- A fire damaged a South El Monte upholstery manufacturing business Thursday, authorities said.
The blaze was reported about 6:20 p.m. at the business at 9904 Hayward Way, Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Fred Stowers said.
About 60 firefighters extinguished the fire in just under an hour, he said.
The fire in the 200-foot by 150-foot commercial building mainly centered in the warehouse portion of the structure, Stowers said.
No injuries were reported, he added. The business was closed for the day when the fire broke out.
The cause remained under investigation, Stowers said.
A dollar-value estimate of the damage to the building and its contents was not available late Thursday, he said, though it did not appear to be a total loss.

COVINA -- Firefighters made quick work of a 1-acre brush fire Friday reported in an unincorporated county area known as Covina Hills, authorities said.
The blaze was reported about 2:30 p.m. along the westbound 10 Freeway near Via Verde, Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Frederic Stowers said.
Five fire engines and a helicopter were able to extinguish the flames in about 20 minutes, he said.
The fire was initially reported as a quarter-acre of brush burning uphill through light brush, Stowers said.
No injuries were reported and the fire did not appear to have threatened any structured, he added.
The cause remained under investigation.

BASSETT -- A mobile home was destroyed by fire Saturday, though the resident was able to escape unharmed, authorities said.
The blaze broke out about 8 p.m. at the Wildwood Mobile Home Country Club, 901 Sixth Avenue, Los Angeles County sheriff's Lt. Hiroshi Yokoyama said.
Officials found the mobile home engulfed in flames, it was ultimately declared a total loss, the lieutenant said.
The dollar-value of the damage was estimated at $100,000, he added.
The cause of the fire initially appeared to have been some sort of electrical short, Yokoyama said.

No evacuations underway, but this might be the season's first wildfire, from Valley News:

TEMECULA- A wildland fire that began at approximately 2:34 p.m. west of Temecula in the De Luz area of Riverside County is now reported to have encompasses between 75 and 100 acres.

With winds of 10 to 15 miles per hour, officials say the blaze is moving toward Winchester Road.

Rancho California Road has now been closed in both direction at Business Center Drive.

Firefighters on the scene say the fire is burning in steep, dense terrain in heavy fuel (brush-filled) areas.

Fire officials have not indicated any evacuations are underway at this time.

Authorities are responding to a two-alarm commercial structure fire in the 13200 block of East Brooks Drive in Baldwin Park. Apparently one unit of the building is heavily involved in flames. Intrepid SGV Trib reporter Jennifer McLain is on the way to the scene. More details as they come in...

This comes from reporter Robert Hong:

PASADENA - A man was found dead inside a suspected residential care home after it caught fire Friday, authorities said.
The blaze was reported shortly after 5:30 p.m. in the 600 block of Del Monte Street, Pasadena police Lt. Tom Delgado said.
The house was well-involved with flames when firefighters arrived, and smoke could be seen from several blocks away, Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.
The body of a man was found inside the home, she said.
The deceased was identified as 80-year-old Azariah Stoney, according to relatives and residents of the care home. Several of the residents said Stoney enjoyed smoking cigars.
Frederick Wallace, who identified himself as a relative, said Stoney was a Jamaican immigrant and a professional painter.
"He is from the old-school," Wallace said. "He went to work every day at 8:10. At 80 years old, he went to work every morning even if he didn't have work to do."
Brother Jaysee, a community activist who lives nearby, said he knew Stoney from being in the neighborhood.
"He was a good man - a hard-working man - who was doing the best he can," Jaysee said. "It is unfortunate."
Henry Butler, a resident of the home, said he saw smoke coming from Stoney's room when the fire broke out.
Butler said he grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran inside, but there was too much smoke.
"I couldn't see anything," he said.
The fire was put out in 20 minutes, according to Derderian. Damages to the home were estimated to be about $300,000, she said.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
A 61-year-old man was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation but did not wish to be hospitalized, Derderian said.
About 17 men lived in the residential care home and were displaced by the fire.
The Red Cross was sent to help find them a place to stay, Derderian said.

AZUSA -- A fire blamed on an electrical space heater left running to close to a fuel source displaced 18 residents, including seven children, from an apartment building and caused about $300,000 worth of damage, authorities said.
The blaze was reported just after 9 p.m. at a four-unit apartment complex at 737 S. Lark Ellen Avenue, Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Richard Mejia said.
All the residents managed to get out of the burning building before firefighters arrived, the captain said, and no injuries were reported.
The fire started in a garage attached to one of the units, Mejia said.
A man who was living in the garage reported after turning on the heater, he awoke to a fire and tried to put it out himself before rushing to evacuate the others in the building, Mejia said.
The garage was completely destroyed, he said.
The apartment attached to the garage, which housed 11 people, sustained significant burn damage to a bedroom, the captain said. An adjacent apartment, which housed five people, sustained smoke damage.
Two unoccupied apartment in the complex were not damaged, he said, though officials red-tagged the entire building until it can be inspected and repaired
Mejia said about 30 firefighters extinguished the blaze in about 20 minutes.

ALHAMBRA -- An apartment complex was rendered uninhabitable Sunday after a blaze ignited in one of the units, officials said.
The incident occurred about 3:30 p.m. at a four-unit apartment building in the 200 block of South Curtis Avenue, Alhambra Fire Department Battalion Chief John Cermak said.
No one was injured in the fire, which caused $125,000 to $150,000 in damage, Cermak said.
The cause of the blaze remained under investigation.
The flames were kept largely isolated to a single upstairs apartment and an attic it shared with other units, the battalion chief said.
About 50 fire officials had the fire extinguished in about 45 minutes, he said.
All four apartment in the building sustained smoke damage, however, and the apartment directly under the burning one was damaged by water, Cermak said.
It was not clear Sunday when the residents would be able to move back in, he added.
Only the apartment building owners were present during the blaze, he said.