A Yucca Valley family did everything right to save their house from being destroyed by a fire yesterday. Yucca Valley fire fighters were called to a home in the 56000 block of Golden Bee at 9:35 a.m. According to County Fire Captain Rick Denison, a heating blanket that was left turned on, on a bed malfunctioned, and a sheer wall covering in the bedroom caught on fire, causing the fire to spread rapidly in the room. Denison said the mother had been trying to start a fire in the fireplace, and thought the smoke alarm was going off from the fireplace. She walked by the bedroom and discovered the room on fire. The family used a home fire extinguisher on the blaze, which Denison said slowed down the spread of the fire enough to prevent major damage, although a few more minutes and there would have been a different ending for the family. When fire fighters arrived, the entire family and their pets—except for their cats—were waiting outside the home. Fire fighters used a single hose to put out the flames, which had been crawling up the wall to the ceiling. The cats were found hiding in another room and were also rescued. Denison reminds residents that working smoke detectors and a home fire extinguisher can prevent minor fires from becoming a fire that destroys a home.
