Updated: Fire Engulfs Saratoga Aspesi Drive House, Pets Are Missing

Updated: 10 p.m. Friday, April 5: A one-story house at 18565 Aspesi Drive near Quito Road was completely destroyed Friday evening by a rapidly moving fire that began at about 7:30 p.m.

The homeowners, a couple who was sitting on the front lawn of a neighbor's house on the dark and wet street, were safe, but two of their pets were reported missing, a dog and a cat.

Santa Clara County Fire Battalion Chief Carol Miller said the blaze was reported at about 7:42 p.m. requiring a one-full first-alarm response.

Miller said about 26 fire personnel were at the scene fighting the fire, including three fire engines, one fire truck, two rescue vehicles, a hazardous material unit, two battalion chiefs, one safety officer and an investigator.

"We arrived to find the one-story structure with heavy fire involvement and there were utilities and live lines down. Once utilities were secured, we knocked the fire down through the exterior and then we were able to make access inside," Miller said.

The homeowners were inside when the fire ignited, but they were able to escape without injuries, she added.

Cause of the fire is under investigation, she said. "It looks like it's almost a total loss," she lamented as firefighters continued to hose down the home's garage, flames reaching beyond the burnt roof.

Neighbors who live on Aspesi Drive were outside watching firefighters work from their front yards. They said the home had three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

The home's nex-door residences were not compromised, Miller said.

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Residents who live on Aspesi Drive in Saratoga near Quito Road are reporting a large house fire as of 8:20 p.m.

Saratoga Patch contributor Michelle McIntyre said between three and four Santa Clara County fire trucks are at the scene battling the blaze.

"Looks like one house. Big fire.We feel sorry for the family. How sad," McIntyre wrote in an email alerting us about the inferno.

—Saratoga Patch will update this story as soon as more information becomes available.