Neighbor who reported fire says rooster crowing alerted him to the blaze

By Miriam Raftery

December 9, 2012 (La Mesa) – “It sounded like really big thunder,” ECM writer and La Mesa resident Ariele Brooks said of propane tank explosions that damaged the exterior of Gingham’s Restaurant on La Mesa Boulevard downtown.  “First my back door rattled two times about 5 or 10 minutes apart…Nothing was out there, so I thought maybe it was an explosion.  But then there was this very loud sound.”

Another neighbor, Bob James, told La Mesa Today that a rooster crowing awakened him. Spotting flames, he called 911.  "The rooster is a hero!" he proclaimed. (No word on whether the plucky foul who saved the downtown village will sway councilmembers on the merits of owning roosters, which is currently prohibited in La Mesa.)