By Alayna Shulman
The Record Searchlight
SHASTA LAKE, Calif. — A 33-year-old man suffered second-degree burns from a fire that destroyed his family’s mobile home in Shasta Lake this morning.
The man, identified as Ian Laurencis, was taken to Mercy Medical Center. His mother, Janelle Anderson, said medics gave her a “thumbs-up” sign as they took him to the hospital, so she’s hopeful his injuries aren’t too serious.
The fire, on Lake Boulevard across the street from Mountain Lakes High School, was first reported at 8:43 a.m.
Laurencis, the only person home at the time, woke up to a burning house, said Adrian Rogers, fire chief with the Shasta Lake Fire Protection District.
Rogers said the home’s stove had been left on for heating, and that’s likely what caused the fire. Fire investigators were still at the house late Thursday afternoon looking to pinpoint the exact cause, he said.
Laurencis, his 24-yearold brother, Rory Anderson, and Janelle Anderson are now homeless.
“I’m in shock, honestly, because this is the last thing you expect to happen,” Anderson said. Employees at Mountain Lakes High school set her up with a chair outside the school Thursday morning as she watched firefighters douse her flaming house in water. As she looked on, Janelle Anderson said she was hoping for a sign of her missing 2-year-old cat, Tater, who was inside the house when the fire broke out.
Janelle Anderson said she was at work in Redding when she learned of the fire.
She’d lived in the home since 2000.
Red Cross representatives came to the house and were interviewing Anderson Thursday morning. A family friend said the family will get three free nights in a hotel, as well as other services.
Fire crews would had extinguished most of the fire by 1 p.m., Rogers said.
He gave a rough estimate that the losses totaled around $60,000.
Shelley Anstine, who works at the Shasta Head Start near the burned home, said she looked outside and saw “flames to the top of the power lines.”
“That was pretty incredible to see, actually,” she said. “It was pretty intense.” Mary Nash, a teacher at Mountain Lakes High School said, “My whole class was looking out the window” at the fire.
“We were plastered to the windows,” she said.
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