Neighbors Save Woman From Burning Home
Two neighbors used a ladder to help rescue a woman who was stranded on her balcony as fire engulfed her Coto de Caza home early Sunday morning, authorities said.
No one was seriously injured in the fire, which caused about $800,000 in damage to the 4,000-square-foot home, authorities said. The cause was under investigation.
The woman and her husband awoke about 4:15 a.m. to the sound of a smoke alarm. The husband went outside to find the fire, and couldn’t get back in because of intense heat and smoke, said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Paul Hunter.
The woman was trapped on a back balcony while the house burned until two neighbors managed to reach her with a ladder, Hunter said.
The fire was put out about an hour later through the efforts of 50 firefighters, he said.
The fire caused an estimated $700,000 in damage to the home and $100,000 to the home’s contents.
The woman and her husband were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene, Hunter said.
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