Kids Jump Out 2nd-Story Window to Flee Christmas Tree Fire

A Christmas tree exploded in the two-story home of a widow and her three children Friday night, igniting a fire that caused more than $500,000 in damage, authorities said.

The fire began at 6:45 p.m. on Emerald Glen, a cul de sac of $750,000 homes, Orange County fire spokeswoman Emmy Day said.

The fire started after Donna Calvert went across the street to visit some neighbors while her children, ages 5 to 10, remained at home. Firefighters don’t know how Calvert was alerted by the fire, but said she and her neighbors had the children out of the scorched home by the time they arrived.

“They saw flames shooting out of the house,” Day said. “There was no wind, so the flames were driven solely by the power of the fire.”

Leslie Eisner, a neighbor, heard screams from her baby monitor while she was in the kitchen cooking and ran out to see the house in flames and the family in tears. Eisner said Calvert ran into the house and came out with the youngest daughter. The other children were on the second floor, Eisner said.

“One of the neighbors tried putting a ladder to the roof, but the ladder wasn’t tall enough,” Eisner said. “So the two kids jumped out and he caught them.”

Forty firefighters had the fire under control in 35 minutes.

Investigators don’t know what caused the Christmas tree to ignite, but urged people to get rid of dry Christmas trees as soon as possible.

Before Christmas, people tend to pay more attention to the trees, watering them regularly, Day said. But after Christmas they tend to let their trees dry out, causing a fire hazard, Day said.