O.C. Couple Escape Burning Home After Teen Wakes Them
A Villa Park teenager who saw his neighbors’ house on fire early Saturday pounded on their door to awaken the couple, who were able to escape unharmed.
Authorities said the fire in the 10300 block of Prado Circle began in the garage and spread to the attic of the attached two-story home.
The unidentified residents, described by a fire official as a couple in their 70s, had yet to smell smoke when they heard banging at the front door about 2 a.m.
They feared the noise was a burglar attempting to break in, said Capt. Stephen Miller of the Orange County Fire Authority. In fact, it was a neighbor trying to warn them.
“The fire was within minutes of burning down through the ceiling,” Miller said. “He may have potentially saved their lives.”
It took 36 firefighters about half an hour to contain the blaze, which caused about $275,000 in damage.
Miller said the cause of the fire is not yet known, although investigators suspect it was accidental.
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