Newbury Park House Fire : 2 Heroes Brave Exploding Cans to Rescue Neighbors

Two Newbury Park men dodged dozens of exploding bug bombs Saturday to rescue a sleeping couple from their burning home, Ventura County authorities said.

Two cases of fogger-type aerosol pesticides stored in the house’s garage helped fuel the 1:25 a.m. blaze. Exploding cans of flea- and ant-killer shot into the street and neighboring yards, causing firefighters to close the 2900 block of Diana Court until nearly noon while the street was cleaned.

Homeowner George Allison, 64, suffered second-degree burns on his head. Damage to his 1-story house was estimated at $50,000 by fire officials, who used three engine companies to extinguish the blaze.

Couple Rescued

Allison and his wife, Jean, 65, were awakened and pulled from the home by neighbors Eric Suzow, 19, and Loyd R. Wood, 20.

“The cans were going off, boom, boom, boom,� said Wood, whose father, Loyd C. Wood, is a Ventura County fire captain.

“I hid behind a corner wall and stuck my hand out with a garden hose until the Fire Department came,� he said. “We’re lucky we didn’t get hurt. Those cans were going off for about 15 minutes.�

Allison said the pesticides were being temporarily stored in his garage by his daughter, who is a sales representative. He received the burns when he tried to move a car and a pickup truck away from the blazing garage, he said.

“Those cans were popping like crazy,� Allison said. “I’m just glad those boys were there. If they hadn’t, we could have been in trouble.�

The 10-house Diana Court cul-de-sac was closed while Fire Department hazardous materials experts analyzed the contents of the burned garage and tried to identify a carton of melted plastic containers stored near the pesticides.

Using binoculars from a safe distance, Jean Allison finally recognized the mystery material as a case of baby wipes being stored by her daughter, witnesses said.

Ventura County Fire Department Battalion Chief Frank Tinsley said the pesticides were common household-type insect sprays that were legally stored.

But he said fire investigators will postpone searching the garage for the cause of the fire until Monday, after a professional toxic waste cleanup crew removes the remaining charred bug spray cans.