House Fire Leaves Tenant Homeless
A blaze discovered by an off-duty firefighter left one man homeless Friday afternoon. The fire caused $15,000 in damage to a house at 557 San Clemente St., according to Kevin Rennie, Ventura Fire Department battalion chief.
Rennie said Paul Barrera, a firefighter with the Ventura County Fire Department, was in his nearby Coronado Street home when he smelled smoke. While driving down San Clemente Street shortly after 2 p.m., he located the fire, at a home owned by Dale Carter, and called for help.
“He stuck a garden hose in the window [and waited] until we could arrive,” Rennie said.
The fire, of unknown origin, began in the bedroom of Carter’s tenant, Garth Homer, who was left homeless.
Neither Carter nor Homer was home when the fire broke out and no injuries were reported.
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