Two dozen firefighters respond to blaze
OCEAN PARK — A Santa Monica man is in critical condition after he was pulled out of his burning home by neighbors Wednesday morning.
The fire broke out at 8:17 a.m. at 1000 Wilson Place after the resident inside fell asleep on the couch with a lit cigarette, according to fire department officials. The jacket he was wearing ignited, which prompted him to run into the kitchen. But because the floor was littered in debris — newspapers and other items — the man ignited most everything in his path, including the kitchen, said Santa Monica Fire Department Battalion Chief Dan Matthies.
Christopher Wilson, who lives in the area, noticed smoke coming from a home as he drove south on Lincoln Boulevard. He drove to the residence where he saw a neighbor, Cal Prouty, dousing the front of the house with a garden hose.
“I opened the door, and we started hearing moaning and groaning,” Wilson said. That’s when Wilson attempted to crawl through the house to locate the victim.
“I attempted to go forward three times, but the house was full of heat and smoke,” he said. “I backed up, and that’s when the firefighters got there.”
Prouty, who lives across the street, had dialed 911 before Wilson’s arrival. He then immediately grabbed the hose, crawled inside the house on his stomach and covered himself with a rug in an attempt to find the victim. But the thick smoke, heat and piles of newspapers prevented him from reaching the victim, Prouty said.
“There wasn’t enough length on the hose or enough power,” Prouty said. “I focused on a corner of the house where I thought the fire started and crawled inside. But by then, I had taken in too much smoke.”
While Prouty continued to search the front of the house, Wilson briefed the fire-fighters on scene for a few seconds, then went to the back of the house.
“I said ‘screw this,’ and I just left them,” he said. “I jumped the fence, and the back door was open. A (neighbor) hosed me while I crawled in, and I saw the guy lying on books and newspapers with flames 360 degrees around him. His hair was on fire, his jacket was on fire. It was a hallway of flames. I kind of buzzed in there and saw his feet. I grabbed him by his feet and dragged him out.”
In the backyard, Wilson and a neighbor administered what aid they could to the unconscious man — spraying water on him, talking to him and lifting up his chin so more air could get into his mouth. The victim was naked except for the smoldering jacket.
“He was super bad on his head,” Wilson said, estimating that the victim is between 60 and 70 years old.
The victim suffered second-and third-degree burns on his back and neck. He was transported to Saint John’s Health Center and later transferred to Torrance Medical Center’s burn unit, where doctors were working on him late Wednesday.
The victim is known to be a heavy smoker and a pack rat, Matthies said. Neighbors, including Prouty and Paul Mejia, who lives two houses away, said they never met or saw the victim, whose first name is believed to be James.
Wilson added that the home smelled of alcohol, and a bottle of booze actually blew up while he was inside retrieving the victim. It’s unknown if the victim was intoxicated at the time of the incident.
Twenty-four firefighters responded to the scene and within a matter of minutes had the blaze under control.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 9, 2004. Read the original PDF.