The Piedmont Fire Department was alerted to a fire on Estates Drive by a 9-1-1 call to Piedmont Dispatch by the property owners at 6:07 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 10.
Firefighters arrived at the scene within minutes and found a single-family home with smoke coming from upper floor windows. The homeowners, their family, and pet dog were safely out of the building when firefighters arrived.
Piedmont firefighters quickly got their hose and equipment up several flights of stairs to the front door and found the fire in a bedroom on the top floor of the home. Operating from inside and on the roof, firefighters stopped the fire in the room where it started and the attic immediately above the room. Oakland Fire units provided mutual aid to support the firefight until the fire was declared under control.
“Piedmont firefighters made a quick stop to save much of the house” said Fire Chief Dave Brannigan. “This was helped by quick thinking from the family who closed the door to the room where the fire was as they escaped. This helped prevent the fire from spreading throughout the house before firefighters arrived.”
The cause of the fire was determined to be an accident related to a space heater. With cold weather settling in, fire officials stress the importance of proper use of all heating appliances.