Five people managed to narrowly escape after a fire tore through a Garden Grove home, killing a family pet on Monday.
As firefighters credit the residents’ quick-thinking and working smoke alarm for their survival, the family impacted by the fire is thinking of their next steps. Jose Figureoa still wore the same clothes from the previous night when he spoke with NBCLA since he had just moments to flee from the flames.
“When I grabbed my dog, I was running down the hallway and the fire just, whoosh,” he said.
The blaze was reported at about 6:30 p.m. Monday on Flannel Avenue. Figueroa recalls how he and his family raced out of the burning home with just seconds to spare.
“Honestly, I thought, I’m not going to lie. I thought like, ‘Oh, my God. I’m going to die right now,’” Figueroa said.
Figueroa, his 68-year-old mother, his brother, his sister-in-law, a family friend and four dogs in the home rushed out of the home. Sadly, one dog did not survive. Amelia Quinones, Figueroa’s mother, said the dog that died in the fire was a puppy that was given to her by her children after her husband died two months ago.
“Now this is two strong tragedies,” Quinones said with tears in her eyes.
Figueroa said that because the homeowner had recently installed new smoke detectors, the family was alerted of the fire instantly. The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) said that should serve as a reminder for the public to ensure they have working smoke detectors.
“To hear about those working smoke alarms put a big smile on my face to know they were present in the house, and they were functioning and they did their job,” OCFA Capt. Sean Doran said.
Although the cause of the fire has yet to be determined, firefighters believe it may have started from a damaged or malfunctioning extension cord that was plugged in behind a bed.