Father, Daughter Critical After Pulled From Burning Downey Home
DOWNEY (CBSLA) – A 93-year-old man and his 63-year-old daughter are in critical condition after firefighters pulled them from a fast-moving two-alarm fire that engulfed their home in Downey overnight Friday.
At 1:04 a.m. Saturday, Downey Fire Department crews were called to the 9000 block of Ravillier Drive where they found a single-story home ablaze with flames and smoke. On arrival, they learned that two people were inside the burning home.
The firefighters entered the home and found the father, unconscious, near the front door. They quickly extricated him, and a few minutes later, they found the daughter, also unconscious, in back bedroom. Both were rushed to a local hospital with critical injuries.
The blaze was so big that the firefighters requested a second alarm. It took firefighters several hours to knock down the fire, which caused significant damage to the house. However, it did not spread to any surrounding homes.
"The fire seemed like it was about the height of the tree that's right next to it," neighbor George Gabriel told KCAL9. "So I was a little worried because of the height, and I didn't know if it was going to extend into other homes nearby. But luckily, it didn't, so I'm very thankful and I thank God for that."
Another son lives in the residence, but wasn't home at the time of the fire, family members told CBS2.
Crews with Southern California Gas Company and the Southern California Edison were called out due to a report that the fire may have downed power lines, the fire department said.
Firefighters believe the fire started in the garage. The cause is unknown, but investigators do not believe it was suspicious in nature. The home has smoke alarms, but it's unclear if they were working.
