Firefighter Uses his Jungle Cruise Background to Cheer Fire Victim

LADERA RANCH, CA - A residential fire caused about $500,000 in damage today in the Ladera Ranch area, but no one was hurt, authorities said. Within hours of the blaze, Ladera Ranch neighbors rallied around the families affected by the suspicious fire.

Firefighters sent to the 20 block of Rinehart Road at 1:40 a.m. extinguished the flames in about a half hour, said Capt. Steve Concialdi of the Orange County Fire Authority. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

The fire, which apparently started in a garage of a residence, damaged two cars and resulted in smoke damage in the living quarters, Concialdi said.

Some "exposure damage" was reported to the exteriors of three adjacent residences, Concialdi said.

In the original residence, a couple and their 7-year-old daughter got out safely, but the daughter was upset that smoke had entered the residence, Concialdi said. She was asleep above the garage when it caught fire, he said.

"One of our firefighters noticed that she had a large amount of Disney items in her room," Concialdi said. "He used to work at the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland, and he calmed her down and made her feel better by giving her his spiel from when he was at Disney."

Neighbors were quick to do their part to help as well. Several brought over new Disney toys replace the one lost in the blaze, said Concialdi.

Concialdi also noted that there was no smoke alarm in the garage of the residence, which is not a requirement. He recommended people use a smoke alarm or a heat detector in their garages to give them advance warning.

City News Service; Photo courtesy of the Orange County Fire Authority