Marina Bravo
Arts Editor
La Verne firefighters responded to a fire that set a residential garage ablaze Thursday at West A Street near Third street – one block west of the University of La Verne.
No one was injured in the fire, which broke out at around 2:15 p.m. on Thursday. By around 2:30 p.m., smoke enveloped almost the entire block, and residents of the house were evacuated.
The fire department closed off A and Third streets about 20 minutes after arriving at the scene.
In all three paramedics, five large fire trucks and about 30 firefighters showed up as a helicopter circled overhead.
The ULVALERT system reported the fire to the University community.
Fire and police officials said the fire was caused by a collapsed power line behind the building.
The fire was contained quickly. And by 3 p.m. it seemed to be completely extinguished.
Neighbors said they had seen smoke coming from directly behind the house.
“I just heard the fire truck coming down as it pulled over by my side of the street,” long-time La Verne resident Tim Sandoval said. “I walked outside and I saw people running across the street with their pets. I said to myself, ‘Get out.’ I was informed that there were electrical lines dropped in the alley.”
Police officers closer to the scene declined the Campus Times’ request for interviews.
La Verne Fire Department Community Risk Reduction Specialist Lonnie Shipman arrived at the scene as fast as he could. Shipman confirmed that the collapsed electrical wire had landed in the alley behind the garage igniting the fire.
Apryl Kane and Steven Beaucar, the homeowners, evacuated safely with their two dogs.
They were not home when the fire began.
“We weren’t even here,” Kane and Beaucar said. “We had just gotten home from the bank. We just saw it when we got home,” Kane said. “We got home and we thought it was something else and then we realized it was us.”
Their patio also caught fire, they said.
Kane said that she heard popping sounds coming from the fire as it reached her garage. She and Beaucar got home just in time to bring two of their three dogs outside of the house. The third, a black pomeranian did not come out.
“My dog is still in there,” Kane said. “I have a fluffy black Pomeranian. She didn’t come out and I know she won’t come out. She doesn’t know who any of these people are.”
By 3:30, Kane and Beaucar were not yet permitted to enter their home. Although the fire was extinguished and did not spread to their home, they were still worried about their Pomeranian.
Marina Bravo can be reached at marina.bravo@laverne.edu.
Marina Bravo is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations. She is arts editor and a staff photographer for the Campus Times, and has previously served as a staff writer and photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine. She enjoys going to live shows and everything spooky.
Liberty Belle is a senior photography major and marketing minor. She is also the photography editor of the Campus Times. She has previously served as photography editor of La Verne Magazine and a staff photographer for both publications.
