Woman escapes uninjured from fire that destroyed her Compton home

A fire destroyed the roof and all of the contents of a house in the 12100 block of South Blakely Avenue in Compton on Thursday morning, but no one was injured in the blaze, officials said.

Capt. Frank Laurel from L.A. County Fire Station 41 said that when firefighters arrived at about 3:30 a.m., smoke and fire were coming through the roof and flames were shooting up 30 to 40 feet.

“I had units that said they could see it as far as Fernwood and Imperial,” Laurel said.

The woman who lived in the house had already safely exited the home with her dog by the time fire trucks arrived. The woman told firefighters that she had fallen asleep with some candles lit in the front living room.

“She asked me to go in and get her purse and some clothing,” said Laurel. “But I came back and said, ‘there’s nothing left.’”

Firefighters were able to fully extinguish the flames in the single-story, approximately 1500-square-feet home in less than 45 minutes.

Laurel said that he sees these types of fires a couple of times a month.

“Usually, we can get it out faster, but because there was so much fire involvement, it took longer and we had to use a larger diameter hose,” said Laurel.

Often, when someone’s house becomes uninhabitable, the fire department provides victims with $500 in gift cards and access to Red Cross services. The woman in this case declined assistance and is staying with family members, Laurel said.