A Chula Vista family was displaced overnight when an intense fire ripped through their home and got so hot, the paint on the ceiling was bubbling.
The blaze sparked around 3 a.m. at a house in the 100 block of Oxford Street. The Chula Vista Fire Department said five fire trucks were dispatched to battle the flames as they tore through the home’s attic.
Crews had to rip through the home’s roof in order to gain better access to the fire. Firefighters were able to contain the blaze to the attic, but the home still sustained heavy damage.
Homeowner Frances Smith said she woke up in the middle of the night and realized there was no power in the house. She fell back asleep but woke up again shortly thereafter to find smoke coming from the attic and wafting through her home.
Smith said she also noticed the paint on her ceiling bubbling.
“It was awful, but we didn’t see flames,” she told NBC 7.
Smith quickly woke up her four family members also living in the home, grabbed her two dogs and cats and evacuated.
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The family, in shock, looked on as firefighters doused their home and tried to prevent the attic fire from spreading to other rooms. They could not help but feel emotional.
“I worked so hard for everything I have – and to maybe lose it all,” Smith lamented.
Red Cross arrived at the home a short time later and will help the family find a temporary place to stay.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it may have stemmed from an electrical malfunction. The family said they believe faulty wiring in the attic may have led to the fire.
No one was injured.
