LAKEPORT, Calif. – A fire did serious damage to a Lakeport home on Monday afternoon but the family living there was able to get out uninjured.
Lakeport Fire Chief Ken Wells said firefighters were dispatched to the home, located at 770 Third St., just before 3 p.m. on the report of a chimney fire.
When Wells got to the scene he found that the wood shake siding on the two-story structure also was on fire.
A woman, her daughter and three grandchildren were living in the home. “The occupants got out of the house,” Wells said. “They were out by the time I got there.”
He said Lakeport Fire sent one engine and five firefighters, with Kelseyville Fire sending an engine, two firefighters and a captain on mutual aid.
Lakeport Police and Lake County Sheriff's deputies also were on scene to help control traffic and keep motorists from driving over the fire hose, Wells said.
He said the home was roughly two blocks from a fire hydrant, so about 450 feet of hose had to be laid to reach the water source.
Firefighters worked on the outside of the home until it was safe, then went inside, cutting a hole in the ceiling. Wells said a hole also was cut in the roof to make sure the fire didn't extend into the attic.
The fire was controlled at approximately 3:41 p.m., Wells said.
He said it was determined that the fire had started in the fireplace, which was the home's only heat source.
The house wasn't a loss but it sustained serious enough damage that the family can't return until repair work is done, Wells said.
Wells said Red Cross will put the family up for two nights, while the home restoration company Servpro also is offering them a night of lodging.
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