Crews Battle Two Long Beach House Fires

Firefighters today put out two non-injury fires in Long Beach that broke out within five blocks and 90 minutes of one another.

A family of five was displaced by the first fire, which was reported at 4:49 p.m. in a single-story duplex in the 200 block of East Willard Street, said Firefighter Jake Heflin, public information officer with the Long Beach Fire Department.

Firefighters knocked down the flames at 4:56 p.m., he said.

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The unit in which the family lived sustained significant damage to a rear bedroom, a bathroom and the building’s common attic. A 14-year-old boy who was awakened by firefighters and safely evacuated was the only one home at the time, Heflin said.

The building’s second unit sustained damage from firefighter operations but its inhabitants, a woman and her three young children, got out safely and were not displaced, Heflin said.

A vehicle parked in the rear of the building sustained damage because of its proximity to the flames, he said.

Both families were issued SAVE (Supplying Aid to Victims of Emergency) gift cards worth $100 to help offset their losses. Funding for the cards comes from the Long Beach Fire Department, California Fire Foundation and other sponsors, Heflin said.

The second fire was reported at 6:01 p.m. at a vacant two-story garden- style apartment complex in the 1500 block of Pine Avenue, Heflin said.

It was quickly knocked down and was determined to have broken out in an upstairs unit by plumbers who had been working at the recently sold 10-unit complex throughout the day, Heflin said.

About 30 firefighters responded to each of the blazes, Heflin said.

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City News Service

Photo: Long Beach Fire Department