Yuma, Arizona - Today, just before 6:30 am, a house fire was reported in the 200 block of south 8th Avenue. Responding Yuma Fire Department personnel arrived to find heavy smoke coming from a house at 271 S. 8th Ave, and active fire inside. The fire was quickly extinguished, with no damage to neighboring houses. The house was occupied by two adults and five children at the time of the fire, and one of the adult family members was transported to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
Firefighters rescued one family pet rabbit from the house, administered oxygen to it, and it is expected to survive. Another pet rabbit, however, was sadly lost due to the fire.
The house is not able to be reoccupied until damages are repaired, and the American Red Cross responded to assist the occupants. Fire investigators are on the scene to determine the origin and cause of the fire.
The family was alerted to the fire from one of the children who smelled smoke and told the other family members, who were in bedrooms. They all safely evacuated the residence, but one of the adults re-entered the house several times in an attempt to rescue pets. Fires grow quickly and can double in size every minute. Once out safely, never re-enter a burning structure to retrieve items or pets. Most people that die in fires die from smoke inhalation and not the fire itself. Early morning is also the time most fatal fires occur. Every year between three and four thousand people die in fires here in the U.S. In more than half of those cases, smoke alarms were not installed or properly maintained, and did not give victims the time they needed to escape. SMOKE ALARMS SAVE LIVES!