Man Rescues Son From Burning Home

A father barely had time to grab his 5-year-old son who had been playing with matches and escape through a bedroom window before fire swept through their condominium Monday.

Delfino Patlan, 30, told firefighters that he awoke after smelling smoke in the condominium at 9166 Cerritos Ave. at about 7:50 a.m., said Dennis Schell, a spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority.

“Patlan smelled smoke and came out of a bedroom yelling at others to get out,” Schell said. “He came into the front room, grabbed the 5-year-old child and carried him out. They had to leave through a window in a bedroom because of the intensity of the smoke and flames that blocked the door.”

Seven people, most of whom were asleep, were in the residence. Five adults and six children who live in the unit were displaced.

Arson investigators later said that the boy playing with matches near a couch started the fire. Damage was estimated at $166,000, Schell said.

“This family has lost everything, all their furniture and all their clothing,” Schell said.

A smoke detector inside the condominium did not function, he added.

“With that smoke detector not working,” Schell said, “we could have had fatalities. This story did have a happy ending because no one died.”

Two firefighters were injured. Robert Alvarado, 36, suffered a back injury when part of the ceiling fell on him, and Robert Acosta, 33, suffered second-degree burns to his hand. They were treated at Columbia West Anaheim Medical Center and released, Schell said.