3 Roof Blazes Blamed on Home Fireplaces

Three Christmas Day fires--including one started by burning gift boxes and wrapping--caused substantial damage to two homes and minor damage to another, Orange County fire officials said.

The blazes, in Placentia, Yorba Linda and Villa Park, all started on the roofs of the houses, said Orange County Fire Department Capt. Dan Young. In one of the fires, a homeowner was unaware that his roof was on fire until a neighbor pounded on his door to warn him.

Young said the homeowner, identified as Richard McMillan, 43, of Potomac Avenue, Placentia, was “up with his kids, who were playing with their toys, and smelled smoke” shortly after 9 a.m., but was unable to determine the source.

“About 10 minutes later, (a neighbor) came over and pounded on the door, saying that the roof was on fire,” Young said.

The fire, caused by burning embers from the fireplace, was brought under control in 30 minutes and caused $140,000 in damage, he said.

In the Yorba Linda fire, a couple was in their Casa Loma Avenue home when they smelled smoke and discovered that their roof was engulfed by flames. They called 911 at 11:40 a.m. to report the fire at their converted farmhouse, Young said.

Young said investigators determined that cracks in the chimney’s mortar allowed heat to escape into the attic and set combustible materials ablaze. Fire damage was set at $80,000.

In the third blaze, investigators determined that burning wrapping paper was the cause of a Villa Park fire on Dorothy Circle.

Young said the homeowner was in his home with eight other people when his fireplace “went out of control.”

“He was burning some Christmas wrappings and boxes, which we specifically (tell residents) ‘don’t do,’ ” Young said. “Sections of boxes and paper blew right up through the chimney and landed on the roof, which caught fire.”

King and his other guests battled the blaze with garden hoses and kept damage to a minimum.