Blaze forces group home to relocate

Deepa Bharath

COSTA MESA -- Six children living in a local group home for the abused

was forced to relocated Monday afternoon after an electrical fire made

the building uninhabitable and caused about $150,000 in damage, officials

said.

Nobody was injured in the fire that officials believe originated in a

downstairs office room of the 2,500-square-foot home in the 900 block of

Dahlia Avenue.

The flames spread to the attic and upstairs, causing fire and smoke

damage to one bedroom and a bathroom, said Costa Mesa Fire Battalion

Chief Keith Fujimoto.

Three adults and two 14-year-old children were in the home when the

fire broke out, he said. Four engines, two trucks and a battalion chief

responded to the one-alarm fire.

The fire was under control in a few minutes, but firefighters had to

chase it upstairs and to the attic to ensure the flames were out,

Fujimoto said.

“We were concerned about the shingle roof,” he said. “We wanted to

make sure the fire didn’t spread.”

He said computers and some other equipment were stored in the office

room where the fire started.

“We think it could have been the wiring,” he said.

The American Red Cross was initially called to help find temporary

accommodation for the children, but the agency had already located other

facilities where the children could be housed, said the group home’s

executive director, James Rocke.

At the time of the fire, two children were at home and the others were

at school, he said.

“No one was injured,” Rocke said. “And that’s a very good thing.”

Red Cross did, however, provide food and groceries for the children,

officials said.

Amy Bockman, who was washing her car in a driveway two houses down,

said she saw thick smoke coming from the house and called 911.

“I didn’t see flames,” she said. “There was just smoke. It didn’t look

too bad. But it was scary.”

Rocke said the experience has been harrowing for those living in the

home.

“Our home just burned,” he said. “I’ve never been through this before,

never want to go through anything like this again.”

* Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at o7 deepa.bharath@latimes.comf7 .