7-year-old finds smoke and flames, wakes his dad; both flee fire
Costa Mesa fire Capt. Chris Coates speaks with 7-year-old William Rimmer, who alerted his father to a fire at their home.
A 7-year-old Costa Mesa boy’s quick thinking might have helped save his home after he discovered a fire in his garage, according to fire officials.
When the boy smelled smoke and saw the flames Saturday night, he immediately woke up his father and the two escaped unharmed, Costa Mesa fire Capt. Chris Coates said.
According to Coates, the boy was playing on an iPad shortly before 10:30 p.m., but when he went to plug in the device and get ready for bed, the boy found the fire in the home’s attached garage, Coates said.
“He went over and shook his dad to wake him up to alert him to the fire because his dad had fallen asleep on the couch watching TV,” Coates said.
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Costa Mesa firefighters survey the damage to a home, where a 7-year-old boy alerted his father to the spreading blaze, allowing the two to escape.
When crews arrived at the home in the 3000 block of Warren Lane, flames had engulfed most of the garage, but about 30 firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading to the home and a nearby neighbor’s shed, Coates said.
They also quickly doused some flames that had spread to a motor home in the driveway, Coates said.
“Had the kid not woke up his dad at the time he did, that fire could’ve extended into the living quarters of the house,” Coates said.
Fire officials are still trying to determine what started the blaze.
Coates praised the 7-year-old’s presence of mind during the emergency. The boy and his dad did exactly what firefighters teach kids to do: Alert an adult, get out of the house and quickly call 911.
Costa Mesa firefighters also recommend that parents develop a fire safety plan with kids so everyone knows how to escape and where to gather in an emergency.
In this case, Coates said, the family’s preparation paid off when the boy knew how to react.
“I asked him, ‘How did you know what to do?’” Coates said. “And he said, ‘My daddy taught me.’”
Twitter: @jeremiahdobruck
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