Crime & Safety

VIDEO: Nellie Gail Fire Causes $1 Mil in Damages

Watch firefighters battle the blaze.

Wednesday’s fire in a large, custom Nellie Gail home caused $1 million in damages, fire officials estimate.

Capt. Steve Concialdi, spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority, said the costs break down to $600,000 in contents and another $400,000 in structural damage.

Typically, contents figures are not that high, but the 5,200-square-foot home on Buckskin Drive had “a lot of really nice furniture and antiques,” Concialdi said.

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Officials know the fire started in the laundry room, Concialdi said. The housekeeper – the only one home at the time the 10:34 a.m.a.m. fire broke out – was drying an oversized blanket.

He didn’t know whether the machine was just overheating in the struggle or whether the vents and lent filter needed to also be cleaned. Either way, it’s a good reminder to clean out your dryers, he said.

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Another reason the damage estimates are so high is that upon discovering the fire, the housecleaner didn’t close the door to the laundry room, Concialdi said.

“If you ever encounter a fire, if you can’t extinguish a fire with a fire extinguisher, close the door behind you and leave,” he said. 


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