CITRUS HEIGHTS-
It was not just one house on fire but two, burning side-by-side, on Escallonia Drive in Citrus Heights Monday evening.
“The house on the left was on fire and our house was starting to catch fire,” 14-year-old Austin Gutierrez said, describing the scene.
Gutierrez was inside that house. In his neighbors’ house, where the second fire was creeping into the attic, were a man and his two children.
“We were very concerned. While we were en route we did get some updates that there were children inside,” Metro Fire Capt. Tyler Wagaman said.
But the man in the second home had gone to wake up his son from a nap, and seen the flames outside the bedroom window, eating up the siding of his home.
He got his two kids out safely, but when Metro firefighters arrived, they still had her hands full.
“We need to see where the most loss is going to be. In this case it was both structures. So we were able to pull two lines simultaneously, and really attack both sides,” Capt. Wagaman said.
They were able to save much of the interiors of both houses, and firefighters were able to resuscitate one pet. The others have 14-year-old Gutierrez to thank.
“I heard my neighbor come outside yelling, ‘there’s a fire there’s a fire.’ So I just got all the animals and got out of the house as quick as I could,” Gutierrez said.
One civilian, a good Samaritan, was injured trying to fight the fire.
Estimated damage is $150,000, but fire fighters figure they saved $600,000 in additional damage.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.