Fire Erupts in Monrovia Apartment, Forces Three Teenagers to Flee

Three teenage girls had to climb over a neighbor's fence to escape a fire that erupted in a Monrovia apartment complex Monday night.

Firefighters and police responded to the call at a complex in the 1000 block of Royal Oaks Avenue at 9:51 p.m., according to Monrovia Police Sgt. Michael Head.

A one-story apartment erupted in flames and forced the three teenage occupants to flee, according to Harvey Teague, whose girlfriend lived in the now-torched home.

"They got out," Teague said. "They hopped the back fence."

Monrovia Fire Battalion Chief Chris Fabrizio said the fire started in the garage of the home, which was completely destroyed as firefighters continued to douse it with water shortly before midnight. A charred Volkswagen beetle could be seen inside the garage.

Fabrizio said it appeared someone had emptied hot materials from the home's fireplace into a container in the garage.

"Whatever it was was hot enough to ignite the garage," Fabrizio said, adding that the home appeared to be "pretty much gutted." More than 30 firefighters responded to the fire from the Monrovia, Arcadia, Pasadena and Los Angeles County fire departments, Fabrizio said.

Next-door neighbor Steve Spicer, a retired firefighter, said he and his wife were watching television when they heard a popping sound followed by an "explosion."

"There was a big huge boom," Spicer said. "That shook the whole house."

Spicer went into his kitchen and saw smoke, so he and his wife evacuated, he said. They then saw the three teenagers outside trying to get out of their back yard.

"We actually pulled them over the fence," Spicer said. "Thank God for only a 5-foot fence and athletic young girls."