Calif. Woman Rescued After Sleeping Through Alarm

Feb. 12--Firefighters rescued a Ventura woman early Saturday who slept through a smoke alarm set off by burning food.

Ventura city firefighters awoke and evacuated the woman in the predawn hours from an apartment filled with smoke caused by food left on the stove, the city fire department said. Fourteen firefighters and paramedics responded to the alarm at 3:45 a.m., arriving at an apartment complex in the 1100 block of East Santa Clara Street. Neighbors told them a single woman lived there and hadn't left the unit, authorities said.

Firefighters broke into the smoke-filled apartment through the living room window and found food burning on the stove. They awoke and evacuated the sleeping woman, according to the department.

To clear the smoke, Battalion Chief Jack Hansen said, firefighters used a mechanical blower, "which provides positive pressure and ventilation," he said.

The woman was checked for smoke inhalation and found unharmed, officials said. Firefighters temporarily fixed the broken window and estimate it will cost about $200 for a permanent fix. No other damage was done to the apartment from the fire, according to the department.

Hansen said the time it takes for food left on the stove to burn enough to cause smoke will vary depending on the food and its moisture content. Cracked eggs left to burn are quickly obvious but something with more moisture can take longer, he said.

Copyright 2012 - Ventura County Star, Calif.