San Diego
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Three men escaped injury when fire swept through their Monroe Avenue home Thursday, causing $60,000 in damage.
Fire officials said that Brant C. Dewhirst, 32; Randy L. Burkhead, 31, and Arthur Handley, 88, fled the wood-frame home in the 5100 block of Monroe Avenue when a smoke detector went off at 8:11 a.m.
Handley, who was awake, alerted his two housemates, and all three escaped, said Capt. John Hale of the Metro Arson Strike Team.
Hale said that the fire started when heat from a floor furnace ignited a wooden desk in the dining room. The blaze spread to the dining room wall and adjacent living room, where it caused the most damage. Other parts of the house suffered minor smoke and heat damage, fire officials said.
About 20 firefighters controlled the fire in 15 minutes after taking over from neighbors who attempted to douse the blaze with garden hoses, fire officials said.
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