House fire under investigation

Firefighters on Wednesday night put out a small blaze that started in the garage of a three-story hillside home, officials said.

A neighbor told police that an explosion occurred about 11:30 p.m. in the home’s garage in the 3400 block of Oakmont View Drive before the fire started.

Once officers arrived, they helped a 75-year-old woman and an 8-month-old baby exit the home because she had not been aware of the fire, police said.

No one was injured during the blaze, fire officials said.

Firefighters discovered several rags in flames and quickly put out the fire.

The home was undergoing a remodel, and crews had been painting earlier that day, officials said.

Damage from the fire was estimated to cost $15,000, fire officials said.

Sex offender re-arrested

Authorities arrested a 49-year-old convicted sex offender who they say removed his electronic monitoring device.

Riverside police arrested John Marble at 3:30 p.m. Monday on a warrant for violating terms of his parole under the sex offender act, according to the Los Angeles Police Department Foothill Division.

Foothill police had warned residents and other police agencies that parole agents discovered Marble had cut off his global-positioning ankle bracelet on Jan. 4, hid it under his bed and fled to avoid detection.

Police advised residents to look out for Marble, who served eight years in prison for abducting and sexually assaulting a young girl, officials said.