A house fire in La Cañada started and ended on Monday morning, but not before doing extensive damage to the two-story property, authorities said.
At 8:13 a.m. Monday the Los Angeles County Fire Department received a call that a house in the 5300 block of Ivafern Lane was burning. Engine companies from fire stations 82, 19 and 11 were on the scene immediately, with 30 firefighters called to battle the flames.
"There was nobody in the house and no injuries," said Det. Brian Tibbett of the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station. Tibbett was the first responder on the scene. "A neighbor from up on the hill saw the smoke and called it in."
Neighbor Kathy Risley, who lives on the corner of Starlight Crest and Crown Avenue, saw the smoke while driving her son to school.
"I was coming down to town and I saw puffs of smoke," Risley said, "like something was burning."
Risley then drove around the area looking for the source of the fire, she said. When she found it a few minutes later, she called 911.
"The fire was well above the attic space upon arrival," Battalion Chief Mike Brown said. "It appears the cause was a faulty electrical device in the bathroom or a closet of some sort. We’re still estimating loss right now, but it’s extensive. It’ll probably be upward of $100,000."
