UPDATE: Lucerne fire destroys one home, damages a second; two dogs lost in blaze

By Elizabeth Larson | Aug. 5, 2013

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LUCERNE, Calif. – A Lucerne family lost its home and some of its pets in a Sunday afternoon fire that also damaged a second residence.

The fire, reported at 2:49 p.m., occurred at 6260 Second Ave., at the corner of Country Club Drive, according to Northshore Fire Battalion Chief Jay Beristianos.

The structure that was destroyed was a mobile home with several additions, Beristianos said.

A second home nearby also caught fire but suffered relatively minor damage, he said.

Beristianos said the second home’s residents were away and had left a window open for ventilation, with the curtains catching fire.

A neighbor, Bruce Higgins, got into the home and pulled down the curtains, which Beristianos said saved the structure.

“If he had not been there we would have had a much different outcome,” Beristianos said of Higgins’ quick actions. “He stopped the fire inside the house, we stopped the outside.”

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Dogs were trapped in the mobile home. While some of the pets were saved, Beristianos said two dogs died.

A few of the people attempting to save the dogs were out of breath but were not injured, Beristianos said.

Northshore Fire was assisted by Lakeport Fire in fighting the blaze, which Beristianos said was fully contained at 3:54 p.m.

The fire displaced eight adults and two children, he said.

Beristianos said the cause of the fire was under investigation.

John Jensen contributed to this report.

Email Elizabeth Larson at elarson@lakeconews.com . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

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