12-Year-Old Wakes Mom During Fire in Imperial Beach

The Imperial Beach boy and his mother were able to safely evacuate as a fire spread to their apartment unit early Wednesday morning

A 12-year-old boy is being hailed as a hero after a fire sparked overnight at an apartment complex in Imperial Beach, forcing six people to evacuate their homes.

“I woke up my mom. I said, ‘I smell something,’” Joshua Lopez told NBC 7.

Joshua and his mother grabbed their dog, Dexter, and quickly ran outside just after 2 a.m. at their apartment complex in the 300 block of Imperial Boulevard.

Next door, four neighbors also ran out of their unit as a fire that began inside a nearby maintenance shed spread to the patio areas of apartments G and H.

All residents escaped the fire safely and without injuries, officials said. Investigators said the fire heavily damaged the shed, and the flames also scorched the exterior walls of the apartment units, leaving plenty of smoke and water damage inside.

Imperial Beach Fire Department crews were able to knock out the blaze before it could spread any further.



The Lopez family said they were shaken up by the fire, but Joshua’s mother was grateful for her son and his quick thinking.

“It was scary, a very scary thing. [I’m] very grateful for Joshua,” she told NBC 7.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Anyone with information should contact the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department at (858) 565-5200.
 

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