Father of Eight Is Injured in Long Beach House Fire : Blaze: He is in critical condition. No other family members are hurt as flames sweep through their living room.
The patriarch of a Filipino family of 11 was critically hurt in a Long Beach house fire but the rest of the family escaped through a window with only minor injuries, officials said.
A couch near a floor furnace caught fire Monday about 4:30 a.m., and the family awoke to the smell of smoke and the screams of a teen-ager who had been sleeping on the sofa, said Fire Department spokesman Bob Caldon.
The family escaped the flames engulfing the living room by jumping out of one of the home’s few windows without security bars, Caldon said.
Isidro Avelino, 32, was in critical condition and was being treated for smoke inhalation at St. Mary’s Medical Center, said hospital spokeswoman Carolyn Cohen.
His 13-year-old son, Ardel, who had been sleeping on the couch, and a 9-month-old were treated for second-degree burns.
Eight other family members were examined for smoke inhalation, the spokesman said.
Avelino, his wife, Lanie, and their eight children, ages 9 months to 13 years, lived in the two-bedroom home, Caldon said. Froilen Avelino, 41, was also in the home.
Damage was estimated at $30,000.
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