5 Flee Unhurt From Burning House in South Laguna
Five people, including three children, escaped injury when they fled from a burning house Friday.
The children were with their two nannies, said Capt. Jim Dempsey of the Laguna Beach Fire Department. The incident occurred in the 31000 block of Mar Vista Avenue around 12:10 p.m.
The nannies fled with the children and called the Fire Department after smelling smoke in the house and learning that the garage was on fire
Dempsey said 18 firefighters controlled the blaze in about 10 minutes.
“We got there before the fire really took off,” he said.
Authorities estimated damage at $50,000. Dempsey said the contents in the lower portion of the house were destroyed while the upper level suffered smoke and water damage. The house is owned by Craig Murrel.
Investigators believe the blaze was caused by a broken gas line to a clothes dryer in the garage, Dempsey said.
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