Family Escapes Burning Home After Being Awakened By Neighbor

NATOMAS (CBS13) - A man grabbing his morning paper on Orcutt Circle in Natomas smelled smoke. Looking up, he saw a neighbor's chimney engulfed in flames.

He ran and knocked on the door of the burning home and told the family to get out.

"The origin is right around the fireplace. It's really consistent with them stating they had a fire in the fireplace last evening," said Sacramento Fire Department Battalion Chief Marc Bentovoja.

A family member told CBS13 it's an outdoor fireplace with a chimney.

The three who narrowly escaped the flames told firefighters they did have a fire Wednesday night but thought it was out before they went to sleep. That still it's doesn't add up for Bentovoja.

"The way fire places are designed, even if they left the fire going in the fireplace, there shouldn't have been a reason if was designed and installed appropriately," he said. "It should not have burned into the hidden spaces with the fireplace, which appears to be what happened.

"It doesn't make sense for the fire to be able to extend outside of the burn area, the fire box, without it having some type of construction or design failure," he said.

A woman who lives at the home said her husband was taken to the hospital after suffering a heart attack. No one was injured by the fire.