Christmas Tree Fire Injures Resident, Causes $5,000 Damage
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SIMI VALLEY — A Christmas tree fire inside a Jeremiah Drive home Sunday caused $5,000 damage and burned a resident’s face and hands.
The fire, sparked by a short in a string of lights, engulfed the tree shortly after 6 p.m. Resident Ron Archer, pastor at the Living Christ Church, was home with his wife at the time.
According to the Ventura County Fire Department, Archer grabbed a garden hose and extinguished the fire before firefighters arrived. He suffered first- and second-degree burns to his hands, face and ears but did not require hospitalization.
The two-story Simi Valley townhome was filled with smoke when fire crews arrived. Although short-lived, the fire had been hot enough to melt plastic fixtures in the home’s kitchen.
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