2 Hurt as 3 Garden Grove Fires Break Out

A homeowner and a Garden Grove firefighter were hurt Sunday morning in separate residential fires that broke out within hours of each other, authorities said.

The first blaze occurred at 6:42 a.m. at 11161 Wasco Road, trapping a man inside the home, Battalion Chief Keith Osborn said. Firefighters managed to get the homeowner, Dale Conney, out of the house from a back bedroom but the fire caused an estimated $175,000 damage before it was contained, Osborn said.

Conney was treated at a hospital for smoke inhalation. Osborn listed the cause of the fire as “suspicious,” and it remains under investigation.

A second fire broke out at 9:37 a.m. in an apartment at 12828 Chapman Ave. while the residents were at church, Osborn said. The fire, which is also under investigation, was contained to one apartment of a four-unit complex and caused an estimated $90,000 damage, Osborn said.

The firefighter was hurt in a third fire that started at 10:28 a.m. in the water heater closet of a home at 12521 Jetty St., Osborn said.

Capt. Dave Barlag, 35, a 12-year veteran, was taken to Garden Grove Hospital and Medical Center for treatment of third-degree burns to his neck after part of a burning ceiling collapsed on him, Osborn said.

The residents, identified as Margaret Daniel and her son, were also at church when the fire started, Osborn said. The blaze caused an estimated $150,000 damage.

Osborn said the fires did not appear to be related. Sunday’s gusty winds did not cause the fires but “sure helped them to spread real fast,” he said.