An early morning blaze in Sylmar today killed an unspecified number of chickens and damaged horse stables and other property, authorities said.

The fire originated in the horse stables and wooden chicken coops of a single-family home in the 14600 block of Bledsoe Street about 1 a.m. and spread to a nearby property, damaging a mobile home, parts of a garage and three parked vehicles, said Capt. Daniel Curry of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
About 25 firefighters extinguished the blaze in 30 minutes, said department spokesman David Ortiz.
It was not immediately clear how many chickens died in the fire, said Battalion Chief Joe Foley, but TV news reports said 300 chickens, turkeys and ducks were killed.
No other injuries to people or animals were reported.
Story by LA Times
A smoke alarm was credited Tuesday night with saving a Fresno family from injury in a fire that burned a house on the 2400 block of South Roughrider Avenue.
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The Fresno Fire Department estimated the damage at $80,000. Firefighters said electrical wiring sparked and set off flames in the attic that spread to the roof.
First-Hand Account:
“E-8 was first in and my crew and I on E-7 were second in. When we arrived we had heavy charged smoke and fire blowing from the windows of the garage. We made entry to perform a primary and interior fire attack. The fire was intense from the garage and self vented through the roof soon after our intitial attack.
I ended up in the attic for the next few minutes. The firewall maintained its integrity and we finally got a good knock down. The first truck company finally opened the garage door and a fan was placed at the door. The garage was heavily packed with stored items. We spent
a good 3-4 hours there performing salvage and overhaul.”
Submitted by J. Tracy Fresno Fire Department