Flames erupt from Big Pine resident Cheryl Acosta’s garage shortly before the arrival of Big Pine volunteer firefighters (below), who had the fire suppressed about an hour later. No other structures were damaged. Photo above courtesy Harry and Becky Hurdle/photo below by Angie Calloway

Register Staff

4-5-2008

Cheryl Acosta not only has the Big Pine Volunteer Fire Department to thank for saving her home last weekend, but also some quick-thinking, fast-acting neighbors responsible for getting firefighters to the scene.
While Acosta’s garage is a total loss, her adjacent mobilehome was spared after residents on Marianne Way noticed flames darting from the structure and called 911.
According to Harry Hurdle, who lives next door, Acosta was struggling with food poisoning at the time and, being under the weather, was not in a condition to notice anything out of the ordinary happening outside her home.

It was pure luck anyone noticed the flames when they did, Hurdle said. And as luck did have it, Rick Fields’ sweet tooth kicked in just in time. 

Apparently, Rick Fields, who doesn’t normally eat dessert, decided Saturday evening he wanted some after-dinner fare. It was when his wife, LeAnn went into the kitchen to fix the couple some dessert that she saw, through her window, flames shooting out of Acosta’s garage across the street.
The Fields called 911 and then phoned the Hurdles, who were enjoying a late supper and, like Acosta, oblivious to the growing conflagration mere feet from their home.
Within seconds the Fields and Hurdles were outside, first to alert Acosta – who took some rousing but finally emerged from her stricken state and removed herself and her two dogs from the house – and then to find some garden hoses.
Rick and Hurdle, along with his wife, Becky, and other neighbor John Ramirez were in the middle of wetting down adjacent structures to prevent a possible spread of the fire when Big Pine firefighters rolled up to the scene.
According to Chief John Marzano, flames were coming from the garage door on firefighters’ arrival shortly after the 7:30 p.m. call.
Within an hour, crews were able to knock down the blaze but remained on-scene for several more hours for mop-up operations and to secure the scene for investigators.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
No other structures were damaged and no injuries were reported.
As for Hurdle, who described being confronted with “everyone homeowner’s worst nightmare” upon racing outside after the Fields’ telephone call, he is grateful the blaze was contained to the garage – and that Leeann noticed the flames when she did.
“I told Rick, ‘From now on you better have dessert every night.’”