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City records fourth house fire in 2015
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: July 29, 2015

It's been a bad year for house fires in Valley Center, and some of the most dangerous months are still ahead.

On July 23, firefighters responded to a residence at 555 N. Emporia to extinguish a blaze that started on a stove in the kitchen. The fire spread to cabinets above the stove and then reached the attic.

Fire Capt. Rob Tormey called the damage extensive.

It was the second kitchen-related fire and fourth house fire, including a fatality, in Valley Center this year.

Usually, fire officials said, the city will see one or two such fires in a year.

There was one structure fire in 2012, two in 2013 and two in 2014.

It's unusual to have four, Tormey said.

On Jan. 9, a 69-year-old woman was killed in a house fire at 400 N. Hickory. The cause of the fire is undetermined. It was the first fire fatality in Valley Center in many years, fire officials said.

On April 6, a family escaped harm when their home at 600 Redbud in the Ridgefield neighborhood caught fire. Fire officials said the late afternoon fire was caused by an unattended pot on the stove in the kitchen.

On July 12, a family of four was displaced when their mobile home was destroyed by fire. The blaze was caused by a smoldering cigarette butt.

"It's only July," Tormey said.

Fire-related incidents frequently occur in the winter months, when residents turn on their heaters for the first time.

At the July 23 fire, Valley Center police Officer Eric Leeker said he was driving on Fifth Street about 6:45 p.m. and noticed smoke billowing from the roof of the residence. Leeker met the homeowner, Helen Claycomb, in front of the home.

Claycomb told Leeker that no one was inside the house. Leeker opened the front door of the residence in an attempt to put the fire out, but was unsuccessful because of the heat and smoke.

Firefighters arrived and put the fire out. Crews cleared the scene about 10 p.m.

In 2012, the cause of a Christmas Day fire was undetermined. In 2013, two home fires — one on East Third and another on North West — started in chimneys. In 2014, fireworks were suspected in a July 5 garage fire at Fourth and Park and a power line sparked a garage fire on North Park.





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