Crime & Safety

House Fire on The Strand near Rosecrans Avenue

Resident calls 911 after awakening to daytime fire. Paint prep crew and resident not hurt in incident.

An aggressive fire attack by the Manhattan Beach Fire Department kept a blaze in the 3300 block of The Strand from escalating and spreading to nearby homes Friday afternoon.

The owner of the multi-level single-family home called 911 upon awakening to smoke, possibly coming from an attic, at about 3:40 p.m. He evacuated the house safely, as did workers on the property, MB Fire Battalion Chief Frank Chiella told Manhattan Beach Patch. 

The first fire units to respond reported smoke coming from the attic area on the house's west side. Led by Manhattan Beach firefighters, the blaze, located on a western portion of the house, was quickly put out with help from Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, El Segundo and Los Angeles County Fire departments. 

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Neighbor Mark Berg commended the firefighters, estimating that it took about 15 minutes to extinguish the fire. He said the incident was the most excitement the neighborhood had seen in a long time.

Giovanni Castillo, who had been prepping the house for paint, said that flames could be seen shooting out of the home when the firefighters opened up holes to vent the fire. Castillo and other workers from Pioneer Painting were on site when the fire began.

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Chiella said that the cause of the fire, which caused an estimated $50,00 in smoke and water damage, appears to be accidental and is under investigation. 

Castillo does not believe that the paint prep work caused the fire. He and other workers helped clean up glass from broken windows on the property and its next door neighbors on The Strand.


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