A series of unfortunate mistakes led to a house fire that left a Lakewood family homeless Monday.
The fire broke out just before 10 a.m. at a home in the 2400 block of Youngfield Street.
According to fire investigators, a woman was cooking eggs on the stove and turned around to get seasonings. When she turned back around, she found the pan on fire.
The quick-thinking woman grabbed the flaming pan and threw it on the back deck. Unfortunately, it landed near the dried Christmas tree from last December. The blaze quickly spread as the tree went up in flames.
The woman told fire investigators she sent the family dog downstairs to get her 3-year-old daughter. The dog nudged the child up the basement stairs to safety, she said.
No one was injured in the fire and a damage estimate was not immediately available.
Three adults and five children were displaced by the fire and were being aided by the Mile High Chapter of the American Red Cross.
