20 Displaced by Electrical Fire That Burned Down Home in Pacoima

A total of 20 people were made homeless after a house fire in Pacoima early Saturday.

Nine adults and 11 children from three families were displaced by the blaze, which started at around 5 a.m. in the 13000 block of Kelowna Street, Los Angeles Fire Department said.

Fire and smoke had also spread to the rear of the patio, which was being converted into a room. The blaze was extinguished at around 5:23 a.m.  

Nobody was injured in the incident, and everyone had evacuated the home by the time firefighters arrived, fire officials said. A dog that went missing has also been found.

"The situation could have been way worse, it's amazing everybody got out," LAFD spokesman Eric Scott said.

All 20 occupants were taken to the local fire station to get them out of the cold, firefighters said. This article originally reported that 21 occupants were rescued based on firefighter information, a number that apparently included the dog, named Charles.

"I couldn't breathe cause there was a lot of smoke in the living room," said Daisy Gonzalez, a teenager living in the home. "My aunt and her kids got out first because it started from her room."

"At the moment I was just scared, and then after I was panicking because I realized I don't have my house anymore," Gonzalez said through tears. "We need somewhere to sleep. My mom is sad but she's trying to stay tough for us."

LAFD officials said multiple families living in the renovated residence, and that it was not a case of hoarding. Red Cross officials said the organization would provide them with hotel rooms for three days.

The cause of the fire, which caused $200,000 in damage, is believed to be electrical, fire officials said. There were no smoke alarms in the home, they said, before handing out free alarms to other homes in the neighborhood.

A separate fire ignited a few hours later in Victorville burned an eight-apartment building, but San Bernardino County Fire officials credited fire alarms for alerting residents to the fire, saving their lives.

Asher Klein contributed to this report.