Orinda Couple Survives Overnight House Fire

An Orinda couple and their three dogs survived an overnight house fire that caused an estimated $500,000 in damage to their 1930s home on Camino Don Miguel, Moraga-Orinda Fire District Battalion Chief Darrell Lee said Thursday.

Lee said the couple smelled smoke last night but couldn't figure out the source so they went to bed, only to be awakened at around 2:30 a.m. by the sound of smoke alarms and barking dogs.

Lee said an emergency call for help went out at 2:34 a.m. with the first engine on the scene of the Orinda North blaze, which was "going pretty good," at 2:42.  A second alarm was pulled almost immediately as more units and roughly 30 firefighters raced to the scene.

The single-story home was burning as firefighters arrived.  Both homeowners escaped the residence with their dogs and firefighters went to work saving an extensive collection of art and antiques once the blaze had been knocked down.

"Right now our people are up there, moving all the artwork and other items to a safe location and making sure they are wrapped and protected," Lee said.  "The owners are taking inventory and we're not sure what, if anything was lost."

Fire Chief Randy Bradley is at the scene of the fire this morning and directing mop up operations as firefighters ventilate the walls and eaves in search of hotspots.

"It's an older home, of stucco and heavy timber construction," Lee said.  "Right now we want to make sure we have it all knocked down."

The fire department has tentatively set the amount of damage done to the home at $500,000, Lee said, though that number may change.