7 LEFT HOMELESS IN MORNING FIRE.

Byline: GIDEON RUBIN

Staff Writer

ANTELOPE ACRES -- Frank Preter fought off tears as he turned to look at the lot in the back of his Antelope Acres property, where an early morning fire Monday left his son, daughter-in-law and five grandchildren homeless.

"Everything they had was right there," he said, pointing to the lot, his voice quivering. "I'm just glad they're all alive."

Preter's son Trevor, daughter-in-law Valerie, and the couple's five children barely escaped when their 40-foot trailer and a 32-foot recreational vehicle on West Avenue E-8 became engulfed in flames about 12:40 a.m. Monday, Los Angeles County Fire Department officials said.

The fire is believed to have been ignited by a space heater in a shack that connected the trailer and RV. However, the blaze is being probed by county Sheriff's Department arson investigators, Fire Department Inspector Jason Hurd said.

Family members hailed Trevor Preter as a hero. They say he broke a window and crawled into the burning structure to pull his 11-year-old daughter, Caitlyn, to safety.

Preter, 39, was in a medical-induced coma Monday afternoon at Antelope Valley Hospital, where he was being treated for severe smoke inhalation. His wife, Valerie Preter, 36, said doctors told her Preter was in stable condition and is expected to make a complete recovery.

"(The doctors) said he's doing better, but they just want to keep him sedated," Valerie Preter said.

Jacob Preter, 7, who suffered second-degree burns on his right foot, was the only other family member seriously injured.

Jacob noticed the fire when he awoke to use the bathroom. He woke up his older brother, 13-year-old Cody.

"They came into our room screaming," their mother said. "(Jacob) is our little hero."

Neighbor Esko Woudenberg said fire trucks didn't arrive on the scene until more than 30 minutes after a call on his wife's cell phone was placed at 1:45 a.m.

Hurd confirmed that the trucks were accidentally dispatched to an east-side address. Firefighters fully extinguished the fire about 2:30 a.m., a Fire Department official said.

Woudenberg said he became aware of the fire when his dog started barking.

"I saw the fire, and I knew if they weren't out of there yet, it was too late," Woudenberg said.

Valerie Preter said her family is in immediate need of assistance.

She said her two sons, daughter Caitlyn, and two other daughters, Lauren, 9, and Rachel, 18 months, as well as she and her husband, lost all their clothing and other possessions.

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To donate clothing, groceries or money to the Preter family, call the Grace Resource Center at [phone].

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Little more than twisted metal is left of a 40-foot trailer destroyed early Monday during an Antelope Acres fire. A seven-member family was left homeless by the blaze.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News

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