Air freshener’s heat causes house fire
UNION-TRIBUNE
7:35 a.m. November 15, 2024
Author: Unknown
VISTA: Three children escaped flames and smoke at their Lado de Loma Drive home yesterday after a stack of clothes in the bathroom caught fire.
A plug-in air freshener with a heating element in it ignited the clothes, which were resting against the small device, Vista fire Capt. Randy Pusey said,.The children, whom Pusey said range in age from 10 to about 15, were home unsupervised when they smelled smoke and heard a smoke detector sounding. They opened the bathroom door and saw a pile of clothes burning in one corner.
The children ran to a neighbor’s house, where someone called 911 shortly after 2 p.m. Fire crews arrived in six minutes and found smoke pouring from the back of the house. Flames were doused by 2:20 p.m. The fire, as well as heat and smoke throughout the house, caused an estimated $30,000 in damage.
The Red Cross assisted the family with temporary shelter, Pusey said.
–P.R.