Live Wire Shocks CA Firefighters at Scene of Two-House Fire

May 3, 2021
Around 80 Orange Fire Department firefighters worked for hours to put out a fire that started when flames from a burning vehicle spread to two nearby houses.

A blaze that engulfed two homes Friday afternoon sent three firefighters to the hospital with mild electrical injuries in Southern California, Orange city officials say.

A hoseline being used by the firefighters might have touched a live wire inside one of the houses, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The Orange Fire Department said the firefighters "came into contact" with electrical wiring, while other news sources blamed a downed power line.

A fourth firefighter was taken to a hospital for heat exhaustion during the blaze, which displaced 20 people and killed a pet dog, the Orange County Register reported.

The 12:30 p.m. blaze broke out when a vehicle parked between two homes caught fire, spreading flames to the nearby houses, KTLA reported.

"I actually saw the flames in my face," resident Chris DeRosas told the Orange County Register.

"We got out just in time."

About 80 firefighters spent hours dousing the flames, KTLA reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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(c)2021 The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, Calif.)

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