Yuba City family escapes house fire

Sept. 30--No one in the home was aware the carport was on fire until a neighbor banged on the door.

Makayla Neff, 22, and her 1- and 3-year-old children escaped their Yuba City home on B Street along with three adults before the flames spread to the attic at about 8:30 p.m. Monday.

"We got out just in time," Neff said while sitting on the porch of the gutted home Tuesday afternoon.

The children's' bedroom was destroyed, as were other rooms, where firefighters knocked out the ceiling to reach the attic, where fire quickly spread through the insulation.

The home is uninhabitable.

Neff and her husband, Todd, rent the home and didn't have renters insurance. The American Red Cross helped the young family with a few nights in a local hotel, and the family plans to stay with relatives in the area.

Before they left the home, Neff and the other adults said they couldn't smell, hear or see any sign of fire.

Most of the fire was in the home's attic after it spread from the carport, said Yuba City Fire Battalion Chief Gary Garrisi. Firefighters had to pull ceiling out as the home had cellulose insulation, which is unlike fiberglass insulation.

"It's more of a paper material, so it spreads. It can travel in hidden paths," Garrisi said.

A live wire had dropped from the fire, but no one was hurt.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Neff's brother, Christian Clark, was barbecuing, but they were told it was unlikely that started the fire. Neff suspected the fire was electrical.

CONTACT reporter Monica Vaughan at 749-4783 and on Twitter @MonicaLVaughan.

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