Laguna Hills : Playing Child Causes $300,000 Fire in Home

A child playing with flammables triggered a $300,000 blaze Thursday afternoon at the home of a contractor in the exclusive Nellie Gail Ranch area of Laguna Hills, fire officials said.

The home, owned by Dominic DeLello, suffered damage only to a master bedroom, according to Orange County Fire Department Battalion Chief Richard Witesman.

But Witesman said the destroyed contents in that bedroom, including antiques and art, were valued at $200,000. The fire caused an additional $100,000 damage to the structure, he said.

A smoke detector alerted the five people home at the time--DeLello’s wife, their three children and their maid--to the fire, Witesman said. The blaze was reported to the Fire Department about 3:15 p.m., a dispatcher said.

Twenty firefighters managed to confine the flames to the one room and to extinguish them in less than 30 minutes, said Witesman. He added that the home and its contents were valued by the owners at about $1 million.

Fire officials would not elaborate on the flammable substance that triggered the fire.