A Wednesday morning house fire in Laguna Niguel was caused by "possible smoking material from a cigarette," Orange County Fire Authority spokesman Steve Concialdi said.
The accidental fire started in the master bedroom of a large two-story home on the 24000 block of La Plata Drive, Concialdi said. After spreading to the attic, the fire caused an estimated $300,000 in structural damage to the home and another $100,000 in damage to the home's contents.
After noticing the fire, a 33-year-old man went downstairs, woke his 66-year-old mother and helped her into her motorized wheelchair, the spokesman said. The son helped her through the front door, then ran back to get his dog.
"Basically (the son) said within 30 seconds of him noticing the fire, it took off," Concialdi said. "He just had time to basically get his mom out."
Meanwhile a neighbor used a garden hose to help put out the fire after calling 9-1-1 until the fire got too intense, Concialdi said.
The displaced mother and son left the home in only their nightwear, and without shoes, Concialdi said. The nonprofit Trauma Intervention Programs "provided a great deal of support" to the two, as well as firefighters, he said.
Firefighters were able to rescue the mother's other wheelchair, medicines, important paperwork, toiletries and clothes, he said.
Three bearded dragons and two tanks worth of exotic fish died in the blaze, Concialdi said.
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