Photo by Sebastian Ramirez

Photo by Sebastian Ramirez

Photo by Sebastian Ramirez

A two-story Fillmore home was engulfed in flames Sunday morning, February 15, at 7:30 a.m., despite efforts by multiple engine companies including Fillmore, Oxnard and Santa Paula. The owner, former Fillmore Mayor Evaristo Barajas, was not at home at the time. Owner Guillermina “Gigi” Barajas was home, along with their daughter, Alani, 17, and a friend. Gigi had returned from her nursing duties at Santa Paula Hospital and dozed off on a couch in the living room. She awoke to a smoke-filled room and the sound of smoke detectors.

The blaze did not impact neighboring homes in the200 block of Waterford Lane.

The family’s pet dog, Starlight, 15, was killed in the fire, along with a Gecko and freshwater fish. Chuy Ortiz, owner of El Pescador, located one block over from Waterford Lane, was one of the first on the scene. He said Alani wanted to go back into the blazing house for Starlight, a Pomeranian, but was restrained by others. The Barajas family had lived in the home for over 23 years.

The Red Cross offered financial assistance to the family so they could purchase much needed supplies, bedding and linens prior to occupying a home generously made available by one of their neighbors.

An electrical short in the living room may have started the blaze.