[symple_googlemap title=”” location=”338 Hanover Drive, Costa Mesa, CA” height=”300″ zoom=”13″]
Three family pets were killed and “an older woman” and a baby were hospitalized with non-life-threatening smoke inhalation Wednesday in a blaze that was possibly caused by a Christmas tree that was close to a crackling fireplace.
Firefighters were called to the home at 338 Hanover Drive at 12:18 p.m., said Costa Mesa Fire Battalion Chief Bill Kershaw.
While the exact cause has not been determined, the fire began in the tree which was too close to a fireplace that was burning, Kershaw said.
The blaze quickly went to a second alarm, and 36 firefighters fought the blaze.
A cat and two dogs died in the fire, Kershaw said.
The damage was estimated at $500,000 to the structure and $75,000 to the contents.
The home was uninhabitable, but the woman and baby will stay with relatives who live close by, Kershaw said.
— City News Service