OCFA Release Cause of Early Morning Residential Fire in Lake Forest

LAKE FOREST, CA—It started in an upstairs room, a fire which nearly leveled a Lake Forest, California home early Sunday morning.

According to Orange County Fire Authority investigators, improperly discarded smoking materials in the upstairs bedroom was where the blaze began—the point of origin for this early morning structure fire that led to the red-tagging of the residence off Valleymont Road.

According to OCFA, the call came at approximately 2:50 a.m. when crews were dispatched to a working structure fire on the 27000 block of Valleymont Road in Lake Forest.

“Approximately 30 OCFA firefighters arrived on scene of a well involved 2-story single family residence,” OCFA Capt. Steve Concialdi said. 15 minutes later, the fire was under control, just after 3:05 a.m.

“First arriving fire units found fire coming from a second floor window above the garage,” Concialdi said. “After an aggressive interior attack, the fire was knocked down and limited to the bedroom of origin, with some extension into the attic directly above the room.”

According to reports, there was significant smoke damage to portions of the second floor.

“Thanks to the salvage efforts of firefighters on the first floor, there was limited damage on the bottom floor of the residence,” Concialdi said.

No injuries were reported at the scene of the fire however the house was Red Tagged. The fire displaced four adult family members who were planning to stay with relatives, Concialdi said.

“A Property Release Advisory Notice was completed, indicating the concern for the safety of any potential occupants due to hazards including post fire atmospheric contaminants, structural damage (including a weakened floor in the room of origin), and the lack of electricity and gas available to the home,” he stated.

The homeowner is working with his insurance company to ensure the security of the home and begin the recovery process immediately.

Damage to this home was $200K to structure and $100k to the contents.

Photos, Courtesy OCFA