24/7 Emergency ServiceSERVPRO of Glendora fire in attic
3/7/2019 (Permalink)
It all started at approximately 11:00pm on Monday night, July 25th. Returning home after an evening out, Jason and his family entered their house in Glendora ready to call it a night. That’s when their 9 year old daughter happened to notice an unusual discolored spot on the ceiling about 15 feet from the front door.
They were all about to find out how important this little girl’s casual observation would be.
Upon examining the ceiling, Jason reached up and discovered there was heat coming from the ceiling where the spot was. Climbing a ladder to get to the attic access opening, Jason discovered a fire was burning above the ceiling. He immediately dialed 911. Within minutes, the Glendora Police and the Fire Department arrived on scene. Preparations were being made to penetrate the roof while Fire Fighters inside the home removed the ceiling where the flames were burning.
Because of the quick observation of the resident and the immediate action of the first responders, the roof did not have to be penetrated avoiding extensive structural damage to the property. As the fire hadn’t spread, only a minimal amount of water was induced to suppress the fire. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
Once the property was stabilized, the fire investigator was on site to determine the source of the fire. It appears there was an electrical short that damaged a flexible gas line allowing gas to leak from the line and ignite.
Attic fires are not that unusual. However, in this case the chance observation of the discolored spot on the ceiling by Jason’s 9 year old daughter was indeed fortunate. If it wasn’t for her noticing this when they first arrived home, the trouble brewing in the attic could have been a much bigger problem for their home and their safety.
In our next article, SERVPRO will share how this damaged home was restored back to its pre-fire condition, using specialized processes and products to restore belongings and eliminate the smoke damage and smell that comes with residential fires.