Parlier lottery mix-up woman's house damaged by fire

FRESNO, Calif.

She was forced out of her house Sunday morning when her heater caught fire.

The fire happened at I Street and Third in Parlier around 9:30.

The family says they called 911 after the house started filling with smoke and they realized the heater on the wall was on fire.

The house belongs to Elida Betancourt, who woke up to another surprise back in September.

That was when she thought she won a $54 million lottery jackpot, only to learn the Fresno Bee mistakenly printed dated numbers from the previous drawing.

Despite the mix up, and today's fire, the family says they still have reason to be thankful.

"It's been a good year so far. We're lucky it didn't happen first thing in the morning when we were still sleeping or something. Thanks to God," Ray Betancourt of Calwa said.

The Betancourts are now cleaning up the damage left behind from the fire.

Copyright © 2024 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.