Accident rescue, house fire make for potential tragedies

A treacherous car fire and a fire that started in a residential garage are two notable incidences that North County Fire has handled in the past two weeks.

On March 3 at 5:45 pm, 53-year-old Fallbrook resident Jeff Smith was trapped in his burning truck. Firefighters had to extricate him with the Jaws of Life.

“It took our firefighters 10 to 15 minutes to extricate the driver while the vehicle was on fire,” said John Buchanan, public information officer for the North County Fire Protection District.

During the extrication, a firefighter gave his own oxygen mask to Smith for breathing assistance.

Smith was removed from the vehicle with non-life-threatening injuries, including what appeared to be abrasions and smoke inhalation.

The accident occurred in the 1700 block of Tecalote Drive.

“It was the quick actions of the fire department that saved this individual from major and severe injuries and burns,” said Buchanan.

The Oceanside CHP reports they have determined the cause of the vehicle accident.

“The cause of the crash was Smith’s intoxication,” said Eric Newburry, public affairs officer.

Officer statements reveal that Smith was driving southbound on Tecalote Road at approximately 25 miles per hour.

“Due to his intoxication, Smith made an unsafe turn,” reported Newburry. “His left fender collided with a utility pole, ricocheted off the pole and slammed into a chain-link fence.”

The truck caught fire when it crashed into the fence.

“The fire was in the engine compartment and started to work its way up to the passenger compartment.” According to Newburry, “the great work of the firefighters saved Smith from critical injuries.”

In the early morning hours of Saturday, March 8, Fallbrook resident Alberta Davidson was awakened by an unusual noise that included a vibration.

It roused her from bed at approximately 5 a.m.

“I turned on an outside light and opened the door, thinking the sound was coming from the air conditioning equipment,” she said. “But it was actually the big fire alarm sounding above the equipment. It was a very loud.”

This audible alarm came from the fire sprinkler unit installed in their home.

Davidson’s husband was out of town, so she awaked her 18-year-old son.

Together, they walked to the kitchen area, where a door in the nearby hallway led to their three-car garage.

“We could smell smoke,” Davidson said.

She was behind her son when he opened the door to discover smoke and flames in their garage.

After calling 9-1-1 for help, Davidson and her son exited the premises and waited for authorities.

Firefighters arrived on the scene and put out the flames.

Inside their garage, said Davidson, the family’s automobile sustained minor paint damage, but their new Harley Davidson motorcycle was unscathed.

Their pet ferret, which lives in a condominium-style cage in one part of the garage, was saved as well.

“The garage interior has been burnt down to the wood beams,” said Davidson. “It’s as if someone came inside the garage and painted everything black.”

In an interview with Davidson, fire authorities asked if any recent work had been done on the home.

“We had some stainers

here and they were staining the French doors,” she said.

Apparently, one of the workers, Davidson said, made a grave mistake by gathering up his work rags and leaving them on Davidson’s workbench in the garage.

The linseed oil in the rags is what started the fire, authorities say.

“The Davidson incident was an accidental fire caused by oily rags; there was an improper disposal of oily rags,” said Buchanan.

He explained that a wadded-up rag with linseed oil will create its own heat and cause a fire.

“This is why we encourage people to keep paint thinner and linseed oil in a metal can,” he said.

As far as Buchanan is concerned, the fire sprinklers saved the Davidson home and their lives.

Davidson says she cannot imagine living in a home without fire sprinklers. “They are extremely important. Not only did they save my property but they saved my son’s life and my own.”