Firefighters control fire at Oakland home

OAKLAND, Calif. -- A passing driver stopped a woman from re-entering her burning East Oakland home while she waited for firefighters to arrive this evening, fire officials said.

She was later hospitalized for smoke inhalation as firefighters worked to extinguish a fully-involved fire at her home at 4916 Daisy St., next to Interstate Highway 580 and Mills College, Battalion Chief Emon Usher said.

The fire in the two-story single-family home was first reported at 5:26 p.m. and was under control at 5:51 p.m.

There was heavy damage, totaling between $200,000 and $300,000 worth of damage to the home and its contents, Usher estimated.

The woman, in her late 60s, first exited the home but tried to go back inside just as the fire was growing. A passing motorist stopped and prevented her from re-entering the home.

Usher said she might have been trying to go back inside to try and put out the fire, which started when she accidentally set a blanket on fire, possibly while smoking.

She was later transported by ambulance to a hospital because she was having difficulty breathing.

The woman lives there with one other person, who was not home at the time of the fire. The Red Cross is assisting that person with temporary housing.

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