California woman, 22, dies in fire that started from artificial Christmas tree and burned down whole house
NORTHERN HIGHLANDS, CALIFORNIA: A woman from Northern Highlands died in a house fire early on this weekend. Destiny Abdrazack, 22, died in a tragic fire incident at a residence on David Drive caused by an artificial Christmas tree in the early hours of Sunday, December 25. Fire investigators determined the tree caused the electrical fire, and smoke detectors were not working in the home.
A loud noise prompted neighbors to open their windows and peek outside. “You could see the flickering light on the tree and that’s kind of like the telltale sign of a fire,” said Richard Byer. Byer and his wife Brandy ran three doors down and saw the family outside. “They were screaming, ‘Destiny. There’s someone inside. There’s someone inside.’ There’s nothing any of us could do,” said Brandy Byers, according to KCRA 3.
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The house was ablaze, and Byers couldn't stand by and watch it burn. As a result, he grabbed a fire extinguisher, while another neighbor used a garden hose to put out the flames. Byers said a family member was motioning to the front window. “That’s where I aimed my fire extinguisher, but the fire just came right back,” he said. “It was too intense, moving too fast.”
On Christmas Eve, Ernest Isom, his wife, their kid, his fiance, and two other adults fell asleep. “Everything, everything, down to my dogs, everything,” Isom said. Two dogs died in the fire. “It’s a miracle people got out at all. It was moving, it was intense,” said Richard Byers. “Unfortunately, she was the one who yelled fire, and that’s the sad part, she saved our lives,” he added.
For the family affected by the fire, loved ones have launched a fundraiser. Additionally, according to Sacramento Metro Fire, the house lacked functional smoke detectors. They exhorted folks to make sure their batteries are functional by checking them. In order to raise awareness and assist households with installation, the fire department will launch a smoke detector campaign in the first week of January.
MEAWW reported in a similar incident in, Pittsburgh residential area overnight, two children and one young adult were killed in a three-alarm house fire. The Pittsburg Bureau of Fire responded to the 3400 block of McClure Avenue just before 2 am on Saturday, December 17, 2022 after receiving several calls about a house fire. A two-alarm fire with "heavy fire throughout" soon became a three-alarm fire, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety.