Local News in Brief : Orange : A Sudden Veer From Christmas Cheer

Casey Burns had planned to spend the day after Christmas relaxing and watching football on TV.

But Monday he was anything but relaxed as he surveyed what was left of his two-bedroom home in Orange after a car smashed through the kitchen as his family unwrapped packages on Christmas morning.

Damage was so extensive to the single-story house that a city building inspector Sunday condemned the home in the 800 block of Adams Street near the intersection of Cambridge Street.

Burns, 61, and his wife, Maxine, were opening gifts with their s and granddaughter when a Chevrolet Suburban crashed into the couple’s home. Burns said he had been in the kitchen just minutes before the station wagon hit the house. The Christmas tree was knocked over, and several unopened gifts were destroyed, Burns said.

No one in the house was injured, but the kitchen was a total loss, Burns said. The vehicle, driven by Gonzalo M. Gomez Jr. of Orange, also destroyed two interior walls, including the one between the kitchen and the family room, before coming to rest against a brick fireplace.

Because the city condemned the home after the crash, Burns and his wife had to move out Christmas afternoon. They are staying at a local motel until a decision is made whether to rebuild, Burns said.

“We’ve got insurance,” Burns said. “But what are we going to do in the meantime? This is an awful thing to happen anytime, but on Christmas Day! It’s been a bad couple of days.”

Gomez, who told police that his brakes had failed, was treated for minor injuries at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana and released.