Northridge Home Catches Fire on Christmas Eve

By City News Service

Fire authorities said was caused by a dry Christmas tree destroyed a home in Northridge early Tuesday, but no injuries were reported.

The blaze inside a two-story, 4,000-square-foot single-family home at 19641 Citronia St. was reported at 1:49 a.m., said Katherine Main of the Los Angeles Fire Department. The fire displaced a mother and her two children who were away at a family gathering when the fire occurred.

"The house was fully involved when the firefighters arrived at the scene," Main said. "Sixteen fire companies and five ambulances were dispatched to the scene."

The department dispatched 101 firefighters to the scene and a knockdown was declared in 41 minutes, Main said.

The fire caused a partial roof collapse, Main said.

The cause of the fire was a dry Christmas tree, which had been purchased before Thanksgiving and had not been watered.

After the fire, firefighters delivered toys to the family to replace those that were lost in the fire.

The damage were estimated at $700,000, $500,000 to the structure and $200,000 to the contents.