April 17 - At about 10:45 p.m., a male resident awoke to the sound of an explosion on the 1st floor of his residence located at the 200 block of Bret Harte Rd. in Lake Arrowhead. Upon seeing his living room on fire, he tried to extinguish the blaze using a nearby fire extinguisher. Realizing the fire was too large and quickly spreading, he evacuated the residence.

When firefighters arrived on scene, the home was fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters made an aggressive attack and took protective actions to save nearby structures. Firefighters were able to keep the fire from spreading to the home next door as well as the two homes upslope from the burning residence.

No injuries were sustained. The home is a complete loss with damages estimated at $300,000. The fire is believed to have been caused by the natural gas floor heater. The investigation is continuing.

San Bernardino County Fire offers the following Fire Extinguisher tips:

• A portable fire extinguisher can be a very effective tool in saving lives and property for small, contained fires.
• Having working smoke alarms throughout your home will help ensure you are alerted before a fire gets out of control.
• A typical fire extinguisher contains less than 20 seconds of extinguishing power. Depending on the size and intensity of the fire, fires can double their size in less than 2 minutes.
• Using the wrong type of extinguisher can be life threatening.
• Keep your back to your exit, preventing your escape route from being blocked by fire in case you are unable to extinguish it. Do not let anything come between you and your exit.
• Stay low away from smoke. If there is too much smoke or you are at risk of inhaling smoke or toxic gases, get out! (1 out of 7 fire-related deaths occur from breathing poisonous gases).

---