Canyon Country house destroyed

Canyon Country:

On Monday, Lucy Medina, 32, surveyed the remains of her Canyon Country home. Only its frame and  garage were standing. Her sister's Toyota Corolla was gutted.

"This is where we spend Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving -- all the holidays," Medina said. "So that's kind of sad."

Medina said she was frustrated firefighters weren't on the scene when she tried to get back to her house with her two children, Steven, 4, and Sebastian, 7 months old, after a Sunday-afternoon shopping trip and early dinner at Rattler's Restaurant. Firefighters were able to rescue her family's Rottweiler, Champ, by tossing him over to some neighbors before they escaped.

"I'm used to seeing all the smoke, but never did I imagine it would be my home. I guess you never do," Medina said.

-- Molly Hennessy-Fiske