FIRE RIPS THROUGH HOUSE NEARLY A DOZEN LEFT HOMELESS BY LATE-NIGHT BLAZE.Byline: Charles F. Bostwick Staff Writer PALMDALE - Nearly a dozen people were left homeless after a late-night house fire blamed on a portable electric heater under a bed in an elderly man's bedroom. Samuel Goldman, 73, escaped unharmed only because he had awakened a·wak·en tr. & intr.v. a·wak·ened, a·wak·en·ing, a·wak·ens To awake; waken. See Usage Note at wake1. [Middle English awakenen, from Old English to get a glass of water before the fire started, his daughters said. ``God saved him,'' daughter Amy Boyd said Friday morning, standing outside the fire-blackened Spanish-style house. ``Everybody's safe, by the grace of God. I lost everything, though.'' Firefighters said flames were coming from the roof when they pulled up just after 10 p.m. Thursday. It took them 25 minutes to knock down the fire, and one firefighter burned his hand battling the blaze. He was treated at a hospital and sent home. Fire officials estimated damage at about $80,000 to the house, which sits on an acre on Avenue R in Palmdale. Boyd said she was asleep when her children awakened her and told her their grandfather's room was on fire. Her sister Shannon Reid and friend Michael Davis Michael Davis or Mike Davis may refer to:
``It was just flaming flaming - flame up,'' Davis said. All the occupants got out safely: Boyd, her sister, their father, Davis, Boyd's three children and two teens she has taken in, and an invalid Null; void; without force or effect; lacking in authority. For example, a will that has not been properly witnessed is invalid and unenforceable. INVALID. In a physical sense, it is that which is wanting force; in a figurative sense, it signifies that which has no effect. man and a woman she cares for. They had to carry the invalid man out. The family dog also got out. ``The neighbors came to my help. They came out running in slippers, socks,'' she said. The occupants all inhaled in·hale v. in·haled, in·hal·ing, in·hales v.tr. 1. To draw (air or smoke, for example) into the lungs by breathing; inspire. 2. smoke but were not hurt, Boyd said. Her father, who suffers from congestive heart failure congestive heart failure, inability of the heart to expel sufficient blood to keep pace with the metabolic demands of the body. In the healthy individual the heart can tolerate large increases of workload for a considerable length of time. and diabetes, sat in an ambulance until paramedics were sure he was all right. Her youngest son, age 10, was upset, Boyd said. ``He was just crying and holding on to his doggie,'' she said. The fire damage seemed confined con·fine v. con·fined, con·fin·ing, con·fines v.tr. 1. To keep within bounds; restrict: Please confine your remarks to the issues at hand. See Synonyms at limit. to the bedroom, but smoke damage was heavy throughout the house and the heat was intense enough to melt plastic objects in rooms that didn't catch fire. Among the damaged furniture was a new pool table and a flat-screen television bought for Christmas. ``Everything's gone,'' Boyd said, tears coming to her eyes. ``I don't have a lot of money. I have children. I have my daddy. I have my foster kids. All my dad's medicine is gone.'' Boyd rented three rooms at Motel 6 on Thursday night and was visiting relief agencies Friday looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. help. Boyd's father has lived in the house for 16 years and she moved in after his health worsened, she said. They rent the house, but were arranging a loan to buy and had expected to sign documents next week. They have no insurance on their belongings belongings Noun, pl the things that a person owns or has with him or her Noun 1. belongings - something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone; "that hat is my property"; "he is a man of , she said. Anyone interested in helping the family can contact Boyd through her sister Dorene Goldman at (661) 209-4034. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- ran in AV edition only) Michael Davis makes his way through charred debris in the yard of a residence that burned in the 1200 block of E. Ave. R on Thursday night. (2 -- ran in AV edition only) Amy Boyd surveys the damage in her burned Palmdale home. ``Everybody's safe, by the grace of God. I lost everything, though,'' Boyd said. Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion