UPDATE: Dog Dead, 8 Displaced in Peninsula Fire

SAN MATEO, CA – A structure fire in San Mateo that led to an overnight road closure in town displaced eight people and killed a pet dog, police and fire officials said.

The fire was reported at 10:46 p.m. Thursday in a townhouse located at 2319 Ticonderoga Road, and appears to have started in the rear bedroom on the bottom floor, according to the Foster City-Belmont-San Mateo Fire Department. From there, the blaze apparently traveled up to the roof.

Fire crews arrived at the five-unit complex about five minutes after a neighbor called in to report flames and smoke. By that time, the four-alarm fire was already burning through the roof, according to firefighters.

Crews extinguished the bulk of the flames within 20 minutes but one home was completely destroyed and two neighboring homes sustained moderate smoke and water damage. Fire officials estimated the damage to be
nearly $1 million.

As crews battled the blaze, roadways were blocked in the area, according to the San Mateo Police Department. By 4 a.m., though, SMPD reported on Nixle that "all roadways are reopened and traffic is normal."

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

– Bay City News Service contributed to this report / Image via Shutterstock.