(Added 4:18 am – photo courtesy Gabe)
3:38 AM: If you’ve heard the sirens – big response to a house fire reported in the 5200 block of 45th SW (near Erskine, southwest of The Junction). First firefighters to respond have described the house over the radio as “well-involved” in flames, and also say everyone got out OK. More to come.
3:56 AM UPDATE: Firefighters have radioed that the fire is under control on the main floor of the house.
(Photos/video from here down: By WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
4:02 AM UPDATE: Our crew is there and says it’s still an intensive firefighting scene – the cameraphone photo above shows firefighters working with their air supply. The house itself is hard to see from the street because of trees/shrubs. Still no injuries reported.
4:19 AM UPDATE: Fire now reported “tapped,” which means, basically, out – firefighters had been working to ventilate (cut roof and/or siding holes) the house to make sure they’d gotten to all possible spots. Just added the photo at the top of the story – Gabe took that from a balcony overlooking the house, explaining, “We woke up to the neighbor across the street screaming ‘Help!’ and seeing his house on fire!”
4:52 AM UPDATE: SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore is at the scene and just briefed us (will add video of his briefing when our crew’s back, along with a few more photos). He says one man was inside the home when this started.
He told investigators that he had a fire going in the fireplace; spark/fire jumped from it, ignited something, and he tried to put it out but it spread too fast.
5:30 AM UPDATE: Added the aforementioned briefing video. Investigators are working to confirm the fireplace suspicion.
9:38 AM UPDATE: $150,000 damage, according to SFD, whose official online update is here.
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