By Greg Welter
The Chico Enterprise-Record
CHICO, Calif. — Seven dogs were rescued from a home on Covington Court Wednesday afternoon, where a fire destroyed the covered back porch.
The blaze was reported about 1:50 p.m. at the home in the vicinity Oak Way Park and Emma Wilson School.
Chico fire crews arrived to find the porch in flames, but were able to control it quickly.
Five Chihuahua mix puppies and their mother were found hiding under a couch in the living room and taken outside to safety.
Chico Fire Department engineer Ken Smith reportedly found a seventh dog in a bedroom which appeared to be in breathing distress. It was taken outside, administered oxygen, and seemed to recover.
The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental. Fire inspector Marie Fickert said an older man living in the home was there at the time with his adult granddaughter. He was reportedly using multiple electrical appliances and smoking on the patio.
He noticed flames after he went inside, and was unable to extinguish the blaze, which spread quickly to lawn furniture.
The man called 9-1-1, then located his granddaughter and the two escaped unharmed.
A third resident, the owner, wasn’t home when the fire started.
Fickert said flames from the porch also got into the attic of the home, causing damage that required shutting off power and natural gas service.
Fickert said the family will be temporarily displaced from the home, and were being assisted Wednesday by the Red Cross.
A neighbor took animal crates to the residents so the dogs could remain together and have adequate shelter. An estimate on the damage to the home and its contents is pending. Three city engines, a ladder truck, a Cal Fire-Butte County engine and a volunteer company responded to the incident.
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