Family and friends gathered at a Lakeside home for the Thanksgiving weekend but were shocked to wake up to a fire ripping through their building the night before the holiday even started.
Emanuel Penney and seven others, including children, were fast asleep in a home on Vista Camino when a fire sparked to life at around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday.
“I heard like a loud bang. I was like, ‘What is that?’ And then all of a sudden, I just hear her (his girlfriend) yell fire,” Penney said.
Thick grey smoke could be seen pouring from the roof of the home. Small flames were seen near a chimney.
The damage appeared extensive, with holes in the roof and soot on the wall. The blaze even melted the front of a parked Jeep.
Firefighters with the Lakeside Fire Department put out the fire in 40 minutes.
Thankfully, all eight residents were evacuated safely. But Penney ran back inside the burning building when he realized his dog was still inside.
“I had to run back inside and look for her and try to drag her out. She was just stuck to her bed, so I had to pick her up and literally carry her outside and try to get whatever else I could, but at that point, it was too hot, too big of a fire,” Penney said.
Crews said the fire started in or near a fireplace in the home, though officials are still investigating the cause of the fire.
The Red Cross will assist the family to find temporary shelter.
The Lakeside Fire Department and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department responded to the fire.
Source: NBC San Diego
Be First to Comment