Lake Arrowhead Family Survives Structure Fire; Smoke Detectors Signal Early Warning

Lake Arrowhead, CA — The San Bernardino County Fire Department reminds that properly working smoke detectors are essential for each and every home, as evidenced by a late night residential fire in Lake Arrowhead last night. The smoke detectors woke a family of five that had been asleep when the blaze broke out and, all told, they survived the incident without injury. Per the press release issued by County Fire this morning: “Shortly after 11:00pm, April 20th, San Bernardino County Fire units in Lake Arrowhead responded to a residential structure fire in the 1000 block of Sandalwood Drive in Lake Arrowhead. The first fire units to arrive on scene found heavy fire coming from the chimney box, roof and the southwest corner of a two-story single family residence. Firefighters made an aggressive attack on the fire from both the roof and the interior of the structure saving over 90% of the structure and its contents.
The residents of the home–two adults and three children–were asleep at the time of the fire. The family’s smoke detectors woke them up and the family was able to safely exit the burning residence. Seventeen firefighters fought the blaze which was brought under control in about 30 minutes.
The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental. The fire caused approx $80,000 in damage to the 2,000 square foot home.
The San Bernardino County Fire Department reminds citizens to have working smoke detectors in the homes that are tested routinely. Eighty-two percent of all fire deaths occur in the home and a working smoke alarm can reduce one’s chances of dying in a fire by nearly a half. To learn more about fire alarms and escape route planning, visit the website sbcfire.org or the U.S. Fire Administration site at usfa.dhs.gov. This family owes their lives to properly-installed and functioning smoke detectors.”