More than a dozen adults and children escaped a burning residence in Simi Valley on Mon., Oct. 10. Portions of the house at 2307 Cordero Ave. had apparently been illegally subdivided to accommodate additional bedrooms, and only one room in the house had a smoke detector.

At about 2:43 a.m., on-duty Simi Valley Police Officers Frank Panza and Greg Buchanan noticed flames and smoke coming from the house’s roofline. A male adult working with a garden hose attempted to fight the fire. The Ventura County Fire Department was notified.

Sgt. Darin Muehler arrived on the scene and began evacuating residents of the smoke-filled house.

One renter, a 44-year-old woman, refused to unlock her bedroom door, claiming she did not believe the house was on fire. Muehler forced the door open and the woman exited safely.

Panza and Buchanan evacuated the garage, which had been converted to sleeping quarters. They broke two windows on the garage door to ventilate the area.

All residents were evacuated and no injuries were reported.

City Code Enforcement and Building and Safety Departments have been notified regarding the house remodeling and overcrowding.