“Clearly, the most inexpensive device was the one that had the greatest impact.”
THOSE WERE THE WORDS OF MODESTO, California, Battalion Chief Hugo Patino referring to a smoke detector as he was updating the press on a house fire Thursday night that destroyed a portion of the building.
The two residents of the house had smelled some smoke earlier in the evening, but they could not find where it was coming from and went to bed. Around 10:30 pm their smoke detector went off and awakened them to find a fire burning in a rear addition that is still under construction. They then called the Modesto Fire Department and the first-due engine "could see the glow" from the fire station prompting the OIC to hit a 2nd right away.
ModestoNews.org's video crew arrived on the scene just as the apparatus were arriving and captured some good footage of the early operations plus a report from B.C. Patino on the operation:
The Modesto Bee adds:
When they arrived, they found flames shooting into the air and an add-on to the home that was under construction fully engulfed.
Within 30 minutes, the bulk of the fire was knocked down and the next three hours were spent chasing down hot spots, according to Battalion Chief Hugo Patino of the Modesto Fire Department.
He said contractors working on an office addition to the back of the home left can lights on some insulation in the attic.
Patino lauded his firefighters for saving most of the contents of the house, given the complexity of the fire and the coordination it took to limit the damage. Vaulted ceilings, various angles of the roof, the back third of which collapsed, along with access to the back of the house made it a difficult fire to contain.
Initial damage estimates are approx. $250,000.
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Also on FireGeezer…
- Four-Year-Old Burns Three Houses in California – December 6, 2011
- Vacant California House Ka-Boom Takes Two More With It – September 9, 2012
- UPDATED: Overnight Fire Claims 6 Family Members – May 13, 2013
- Dispatcher Creates 90-Minute Delay on Working House Fire – February 11, 2012
