An early-morning fire that broke out in the 6100 block of Stetson Place on Sunday, March 26, raged on for 40 minutes, causing $1 million in damage.
A 5-year-old boy and his babysitter escaped from the house unharmed. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
Fire Station 35 was called at 8:09 a.m. and responded within seven minutes, two minutes later than the five-minute national standard. The average response time for Station 35 is eight minutes.
“The response time was acceptable, especially within that area,” said Maurice Luque, spokesman for the fire department.
Station 35 is located in North University City on Eastgate Mall Road; it is the only fire station within University City.
Four fire engines, two trucks and 30 firefighters sped to the fire and managed to extinguish it within 40 minutes. Total damage was estimated at $1 million, half of it to the house and half to possessions, Luque said. Neighboring properties were not damaged.