Occupant/Owner of property: Sharon Brackett
Santa Cruz Regional 911 received reports of “flames in the house” at 142 Sir Francis Court. Central Fire District and Capitola Police Department personnel responded to the scene. Police officers arrived first and made entry through an open door. Neighbors had helped the resident to escape the home prior to their arrival. 
The officers extinguished the majority of the fire with a garden hose and a portable fire extinguisher. Firefighters arrived on scene shortly thereafter and completely extinguished the smoldering fire. Fire damage was confined to the living room area and some personal possessions.
The cause of the fire has been determined to be accidental. Earlier that evening, the homeowner was burning some paperwork in the fireplace. She had left the room for a moment and then smelled smoke in the house. When she returned to the living room, she saw that a stack of paper and magazines near the fireplace was now burning. She called to her neighbors for help and tried to extinguish the fire with a garden hose. While attempting to fight the fire, she slipped and fell on fell on the kitchen floor. She was transported to Dominican Hospital for treatment of her injuries.