Fountain Valley : Crowded House Burns, Leaving 18 Homeless

Eighteen people were left homeless Tuesday when a fire, started in faulty lamp wiring, gutted an upstairs children’s bedroom in a Fountain Valley house, fire officials reported.

Paul Summers, Fountain Valley fire battalion chief, said three families were living in the 16337 Shadbush St. house, which was rented to Jose Garcia Lemus. Lemus and one other adult were in the house when the fire broke out about 5 p.m., but they escaped unharmed, Summers said.

Children of the three families were playing outside at the time, Summers said. The fire in the lamp ignited nearby clothing and paper and spread quickly, Summers said. There was extensive smoke and heat damage throughout the rest of the second floor, he said.

The blaze was extinguished in about 15 minutes, and was contained to the bedroom and part of the house’s attic. It caused an estimated $50,000 damage to the building and $18,000 to the contents, the battalion chief said.

He said 15 firefighters, three engines, one aerial ladder and two paramedics responded to the alarm, Summers said.

The owners of the house were identified as Raquel and George Denny, of Laguna Hills.

The American Red Cross provided hotel lodging, food and clothing to the tenants, a spokeswoman, Karen Reed, said.

Summers said there appeared to be seven sleeping areas in the four-bedroom house. The number of people living in the house exceeded city regulations, Summers said, and the Fire Department will notify the city Planning and Zoning Department.