Three displaced by afternoon fire in Long Beach

Vivian Paige was enjoying her Sunday afternoon, cooking chicken enchiladas for her grandson, when her electricity went out.

Soon, she heard: “Ms. Paige, your house is on fire! Ms. Paige, your house is on fire!”

It was her longtime friend, Donald Coleman, who was passing by and noticed the fire coming from the rear of Paige’s single-family home at 1045 Olive Ave.

“I was walking this way,” Coleman said, pointing north on Olive. “I saw the fire and said, `Ms. Paige, your house is on fire!’ I’m lucky, I saved them.”

Paige lives alone, but her two grandchildren, one of whom was not home at the time, are visiting for the summer.

Firefighters responded at about 3:30 p.m. to reports of the blaze, said Long Beach Fire Department Battalion Chief Frank Hayes.

The fire, which was extinguished in about 7 minutes, caused major damage to the living area and kitchen and caused a loss of $15,000 to $20,000, Hayes said.

“I have fire insurance, thank God,” Paige said. “I’m just glad I just paid it. It usually comes (due) in June.”

According to the fire department’s arson investigator, the cause was undetermined upon further investigation, Hayes said.

“It does not appear to be suspicious, (but) possibly electrical,” he said.

West Coast 911 firefighter news source - The Press Telegram / Read entire article