Firefighters Extinguish Fire in Condemned Home on Walnut Ave.

Firefighters extinguished a fire this morning inside a home on Walnut Avenue that had been condemned, a Sacramento Metro Fire Department spokesman said.

The fire began about 6:30 a.m. inside the two-story, single-family home at 5084 Walnut Ave., said Assistant Chief Scott Cockrum.

The house had been condemned as unsafe to occupy by Sacramento County Code Enforcement officials but a transient had been living inside the home and started a fire that escaped the fireplace and spread through the home, Cockrum said. Investigators determined that the lack of general maintenance to the home allowed the fire to extend to the structure through a faulty fire place.

The fire was contained by about 6:50 a.m. and the man, 60, was rescued with no injuries.

There has been an increase in the number of fires related to transients occupying homes in the Sacramento Metro Fire coverage area that are empty because of the downturn in the economy, Cockrum said. He encouraged residents to report any such activity they witness to local code and law enforcement officers.

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