OXNARD : Flames Destroy Single-Family House

A fire gutted an Oxnard house Saturday, leaving a family of 10 homeless but causing no major injuries, authorities said.

Flames quickly engulfed the single-story, stucco wood-frame house in the 5300 block of Cypress Road but were quickly extinguished by Oxnard firefighters, whose station is only one block away. One firefighter suffered a minor injury when he twisted his ankle fighting the blaze.

The fire was reported at 3:40 p.m. and firefighters arrived “about a minute later,” Battalion Chief Terry McAnally said.

Residents Isabel Torres, 59, and Beatriz Sanchez, 30, were in the house when the blaze started but then ran to a neighbor’s home, where they summoned firefighters.

Sanchez’s brother-in-law, Ernesto Chavez, 22, was at a nearby restaurant with family members when he heard the sirens. “We were eating pizza and saw the fire engines and ambulance come by,” he said. “We didn’t know it was our house.” The American Red Cross helped the family find temporary housing, clothing and food.

A damage estimate was unavailable late Saturday. McAnally said the cause of the fire is under investigation, but that it did not appear suspicious.