Lemon Grove……. At 9:11 a.m., Tuesday morning, Heartland Fire & Rescue crews from Lemon Grove, La Mesa, and El Cajon were dispatched to reports of a residential structure fire in the 1500 block of Skyline Drive. Reports of a room on fire were reported from a 911 call. Fire crews arrived in 6 minutes to discover dark smoke coming from the front door and side bedroom window of a single story, single family residence.
Fire crews stretched hose lines to the interior of the house and aggressively battled the intense flames and thick smoke. The quick attack by firefighters confined the fire to a single bedroom, but there was extensive smoke damage throughout the whole house.
A single battery operated smoke alarm alerted the father of the family of the fire, and he was able to get himself and his family out of the structure safely. Though the smoke alarm sustained heat and was melted, it was still capable of alerting occupants of the fire allowing them to exit the building safely. Even as the firefighters entered the structure, the smoke detector was still emitting the warning sounds.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Damage to the structure and contents is estimated at approximately $75,000. The American Red Cross is assisting three adults and ten children, all living in the residence, who were displaced by the fire.
