Firefighters extinguish the last remaining flames on the roof of a house that caught fire in Murrieta Thursday evening. A resident of the home managed to escape unharmed thanks to a smoke detector. (Joe Fanaselle/SWRNN)
A woman who was alerted by a smoke alarm Thursday was able to escape from her burning Murrieta home, bringing along her two dogs and grabbing her purse before the flames gutted parts of the residence.
The fire broke out around 8:15 pm at 24373 Calle Estancia Road, according to Matt Corelli with the Murrieta Fire Department. Firefighters received multiple 911 calls and arrived a few moments later to discover smoke and fire through the roof of the two-story home, Corelli said.
Roma Mugar, who lives in the house with her boyfriend, was alone when the fire broke out.
“I heard the smoke alarm going off and thought maybe something was burning in the kitchen,” Mugar said.
Mugar got out of the master bedroom and said she could see fire inside an upstairs bedroom.
“I tried to go into the room but it was like an orange fire-ball. It was so hot,” Mugar said.
Mugar said she grabbed her two dogs and her purse and immediately exited the house, using her cellular phone to call 911 in the process.
“I didn’t even have time to grab my shoes” Mugar said as she stood barefoot in the street watching firefighters battle the flames.
According to Corelli, it took 15 firefighters approximately 25 minutes to extinguish the fire. The fire caused extensive damage to the upper floor of the structure and the attic, Corelli said. Corelli estimated the fire caused $80,000 in damage to the structure and some of its contents
Mugar said the house was not a total loss.
“The roof is badly damaged but we were able to save most of the house and the contents,” Corelli said.
Firefighters were also able to rescue two pet rats from the home in their cage, Corelli said. The cause of the fire was said to be under investigation.
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