FOUNTAIN VALLEY : Couple Flees from Mobile Home Fire
A retired couple on their way to the beach had to flee their mobile home after it burst into flames Friday afternoon moments after pulling off the San Diego Freeway.
Clarence and Angeline Helms of Victorville escaped unharmed but the flames destroyed their $17,000 Pace Arrow, along with two antique guns they kept inside, they said.
Fire officials said it was unclear what started the 1 p.m. fire. Investigators were trying to determine if it might have been caused by a mechanical failure, said Battalion Chief Larry Hammer.
Clarence Helms, driving to Bolsa Chica State Beach, pulled off the northbound San Diego Freeway at Warner Avenue, but the vehicle stalled on the exit ramp, fire officials said. He tried to restart the mobile home, but he and his wife noticed flames shooting from the engine.
They tried unsuccessfully to extinguish the flames with fire extinguishers. About 10 firefighters worked for 30 minutes to extinguish the fire, officials said.
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