A man, his grandmother and his seven children had to quickly flee from large flames that tore through their Long Beach home before dawn this morning.
The two-alarm blaze started around 4:40 a.m. at the house in the 5600 block of California Avenue, said Long Beach Fire Department spokesman Brian Fisk.
John, 38, — who asked to be identified by only his first name — said he had to scramble to get his family out safely.
John said he was alerted to the fire when his son woke him up and told him flames had sparked in his room.
He hurried to help his kids out the door, including his 14-year-old daughter who uses a wheelchair, John said. He had to rush back into the home once to get his 1-year-old daughter.
Two dogs that slept outside were also able to escape the blaze.

A next-door neighbor, Leonardo Plata, said he attempted to use two fire extinguishers to quell the flames, but they didn’t have much effect.
When firefighters arrived at the house, within about 7 minutes, they found the home and attached garage fully engulfed in flames, Fisk said. Firefighters at the scene called for more resources within 5 minutes of arrival and had the flames knocked down within 25 minutes.
One child was taken to a hospital for precautionary treatment of minor injuries, Fisk said. Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the blaze.
John’s grandmother had lived in the home for roughly 30 years, John said. He had lived at the house on and off for about 20 years.

Portions of the roof were scorched by flames that erupted from the windows. An SUV in the driveway was totaled in the blaze. A lemon tree in the front yard was one of the only things on the property untouched by fire.
The family was staying temporarily with a neighbor a few doors down while registering for Red Cross assistance. Another neighbor walked over late in the morning to check on John and give him some cash to buy lunch.
John said the family doesn’t have immediate plans to set up a GoFundMe.
John was training to be a pilot, attending flight school during the day and learning how to fix planes at night, he said.
He had been excited to attend the lessons this week because it was going to be the class’ first time getting in the air, he said.
“That has to be put on hold now,” he said.