Electrical fire at Cathedral City home displaces family

A fire ripped through a Cathedral City home while a man and two young girls were inside Friday morning.

The fire was reported near the intersection of Descanso Circle and 30th Avenue in Cathedral City.

Firefighters believe the cause of the fire was electrical. They discovered multiple electronics plugged in inside a closet, which they say likely ignited the front bedroom.

“When the occupant first discovered the fire he smelled smoke and opened the closet doors and there was active fire in there burning up his clothes,” said battalion chief Robert Allison with Cathedral City Fire Dept.

It was a frightening scene for neighbors when they saw the heavy flames shooting out of the front window of the home.

“A police officer came to my house and knocked on the door very hard and he told us we have to come out of the house,” said Marysol Alamiz, a next door neighbor. “It was scary because that could have been my house and thank god everything is fine, the families are fine right next to my house.”

It took firefighters just 15 minutes to knock down the fire.

Crews say the home is now unliveable.

“It’s unfortunate for the family; they’re gonna have to find a place to live,” Allison said.