A fire destroyed a house north of St. Helena early Friday morning, causing an estimated $700,000 in damages, CalFire reported this morning.

“It was a total loss,” said Peter Munoa, CalFire battalion chief and fire marshal.

The woman who lives in the single-story house in the 3200 block of St. Helena Highway North near Ehlers Lane said she heard what she thought was water around 5:30 a.m., Munoa said.

Instead, she saw fire on the deck, he said. The woman then woke her husband and called 911, Munoa said. Her husband tried to put the fire with a garden hose.

The cause of the fire, which started in the deck area, is still unknown, Munoa said. It was put out at 7:30 a.m.

“There is so much damage, we cannot come up with a cause of the fire,” Munoa said.

The couple had a barbecue on the deck last night, Munoa said, adding there were burning mosquito repellent sticks and flood lights.  

The American Red Cross has been called in. In the interim, the home owners, who have fire insurance, are staying with friends, Munoa said.



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