Concord Man Burned Trying to Save Truck

A man was injured after attempting to save his truck from a garage fire that badly damaged a Concord home Friday morning, fire officials said.

The two-alarm fire was reported at 9:13 a.m. at a two-story house in the 900  block of Autumn Oak Circle, off Crystyl Ranch Drive in the hills near Lime Ridge, said Lewis Broschard, fire marshal of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.

One of the house's two residents, a man in his mid 20s, attempted to enter the home's burning garage to salvage his pickup truck. He suffered smoke inhalation and burns to his feet and was taken to a hospital in stable condition, Broschard said.

The second resident, a roommate around the same age, escaped the home without injury, he said.

Broschard said the incident serves as a reminder that re-entering a burning home is never a good idea.

"It's just not safe, particularly in this case where the person was going in to try and save a truck," the fire marshal said. "The truck can be replaced, but he was close to getting himself into some very serious trouble by going back in there and putting his own life in peril."

Fire crews arriving on the scene saw heavy smoke and flames coming from the home's garage. The flames quickly spread to second-floor bedrooms and into the house's attic space.

Broschard said firefighters battled the "stubborn" fire for about an hour before getting it under control. The blaze displaced both residents and significantly damaged the home.

Investigators are looking into what caused the fire, but arson is not suspected.

             
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