Fire investigators said Friday afternoon an unattended space heater started a fire in San Carlos this morning that left the home it burned uninhabitable.
"The whole house is smoke damaged. It's unreal," said firefighter Greg Nave of South County Fire Authority. "Black runs down. It's like the walls are crying."
The fire at 784 Cordilleras Ave. was reported shortly after 7 a.m. and was contained within an hour, according to the South County Fire Authority.
Investigators said the fire began in the downstairs office of the single-family home, where the space heater was. The office and another room were destroyed and smoke damage was reported throughout the remainder of the home.
Battalion Chief Dan Belville said a smoke detector that woke up the homeowner "saved that guy's life.''
Belville himself suffered a minor back injury, but some 30 other firefighters and the homeowner were not hurt.
Belville estimated damage to the home and its contents at $250,000.
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Dirk van Ulden said:
CA Is Burning said:
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