HUNTINGTON BEACH : A Lifesaver Award for Brave Girl

Two weeks after Bill McInnes and Denise deVines neglected to pay their property insurance bill, a fire raced through the first story of their two-level townhouse, ruining furniture, drapes and clothing they now cannot afford to replace.

But their two children, who were alone in an upstairs bedroom when the Aug. 29 blaze broke out, escaped unharmed, thanks to quick thinking on the part of their 12-year-old daughter, Janel McInnes.

At the city’s Lake Street Fire Station on Wednesday, Janel was awarded a medal, a plaque and a $500 savings bond for saving herself and her 2-year-old brother, Tyson, during the incident at their 19th Street residence.

With their parents away at work, Janel was baby-sitting her brother when about 10:30 a.m. she noticed smoke creeping up the stairs. Unable to escape downstairs through the thickening smoke, she dialed 911 and followed instructions given her by fire dispatcher Mary Ann Marcello.

Janel kicked the window screen out, closed the bedroom door and hunkered down with Tyson until firefighters rescued them minutes later.

She said she initially was “scared and shocked” to discover the cloud of smoke in the hallway, but then gathered her wits. “I just told myself to stay calm, do what has to be done and don’t worry about being panicked,” Janel recalled.

She credited her composure, in part, to the extensive safety and rescue training she has received through city and school programs. Janel is a member of the city’s Junior Lifeguard and Junior Lifesaver programs, and also participates in the medical aid safety program at Ethel Dwyer Middle School.

“She’s always known what to do in case of an emergency,” deVines said.

Fire officials said the blaze started from a toy truck left on the stove.

The toy was not left by either of the children, however. “I did that,” deVines admitted.

After taking the toy away from Tyson several times, she finally set it between the burners on the stove, out of his reach. After she left for work, the wheels of the toy caught fire, either from the pilot light or a burner that had been turned on, fire officials said.

The wooden kitchen cabinets burned in the blaze, which caused $23,000 in structural damage. The family is covered for that damage under its lease agreement, but the unknown amount of lost property had been covered under the lapsed policy, deVines said.

She said her public relations business has been struggling, so the couple could not afford the $100 premium to renew the policy two weeks before the fire.

“It’s easy to get caught up in a hurry and make stupid errors like that,” deVines said. “We live a typical Southern California lifestyle, where you can get so caught up in everyday things, you forget the important things.”

While their home is being repaired, the family is living in a mobile home in the alley behind their residence. “It’s been a very humbling experience,” deVines said. “This has slowed us down some. We’ve realigned our priorities.”