Bush fire spreads to Phoenix home

A blaze that started from an oleander bush spread to a house in Phoenix on Tuesday afternoon, officials said.

Neighbors reported the fire at about 4:30 p.m. when they noticed that flames from the burning bush had spread to the house near 11th Street and Buckeye Road, said Mark Vanacore, spokesmen for the Phoenix Fire Department.

No one lives in the house and the damage appeared to be to one side of the structure and a shed near the house. About 75 percent of the house was saved, Vanacore said, and it took about 20 minutes for firefighters to contain the fire.

A neighbor who lives in one of the 12 units connected to the house said he came out because he smelled the smoke.

"There was a whole bunch of smoke," Danny Pena said. "It was a big, big fire."

One of the owners of the home, Jimmie Johnson, said the scene was chaotic when he arrived.

"There were people everywhere," Johnson said. "Flames were still coming from the house."

Johnson said the home used to be occupied by his parents, but after they died, he and his 10 siblings took it over. The house was emptied out so not much was damaged aside from the 1973 Cadillac that was parked in the covered driveway, Johnson said.