Saratoga Fire Causes Estimated $400,000 In Damages

SARATOGA - Crews battled a one-alarm house fire in Saratoga early Wednesday morning that left an estimated $400,000 in damages, according to the Santa Clara County Fire Department.

A neighbor on Hilltop Way had reported a large fire across a canyon around 12:20 a.m. and firefighters found the blaze at a residence in the 14400 block of Evans Lane, fire spokeswoman Stephanie Stuehler said.

Crews quickly hosed down the blaze at a two-story home where the residents evacuated on their own and extinguished the fire roughly 25 minutes later, she said.

The fire started inside a three-car garage and didn't extend into the home, which sustained minor smoke damage, Stuehler said.

A firefighter was hit on the shoulder by a heavy roof tile but wasn't injured, according to Stuehler.

The fire caused damage estimated at $300,000 to property and $100,000 to contents, the spokeswoman said.

Officials believe the fire was caused by spontaneous combustion from oily rags left behind by a resident who used them on a refinished deck.

-Bay City News, image via Santa Clara County Fire Department