A house fire in Fillmore May 9 displaced a family of three and their cat.
The blaze was first reported around 6:30 p.m. at a single-family home in the 800 block of Fifth Street, said Fillmore Fire Chief Keith Gurrola.
No one was injured in the fire, but the home was deemed uninhabitable, Gurrola said.
The family, all adults, had self evacuated with their pet by the time firefighters arrived. The chief said crews arrived quickly and spotted a large amount of black smoke upon arrival.
“The guys made real good time,” he said.
The fire grew so big and so hot that it burned through an overhead power line, Gurrola said.
The house was structurally compromised by the fire, but most of the damage was to an exterior porch, the chief said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, and no cause or estimate was yet avaiable, he said.
The fire chief noted that a number of neighbors reported hearing pops or small explosions shortly before the start of the fire. Gurrola said the presence of a lot of plastics may have accelerated the fire growth.
Crews worked on the blaze for about three hours, and fire investigators were at the scene May 10. The Red Cross arrived to help the displaced family, Gurrola said.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Fillmore house fire displaces family of 3
Reporting by Stacie N. Galang, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
