A pet rat survived a two-alarm fire in Antioch at a home where the roof collapsed early Sunday morning, a Contra Costa County Fire Protection District official said.
Firefighters responded to reports of a structure fire in the 5400 block of Buffalo Court around 1:50 a.m., Contra Costa County Fire Protection District Fire Marshal Robert Marshall said.
The family woke after a smoke alarm in the residence went off, alerting them to the fire, and a resident called 911, firefighters said.
Crews arrived to find a front porch of the one-story home on fire that spread to a large attic space, Marshall said.
A second alarm was called for when the roof began to collapse that made the structure dangerous for crews, he said.
A defensive attack was initiated and the fire was under control around 3:30 a.m., according to Marshall.
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It appears a barbecue pit on the front porch sparked the fire that extended to a pillar and the roof, Marshall said.
The fire displaced three adults and a child. A fourth adult may have lived at the home but was not there during the blaze, he said.
The family thought their pet rat perished in the fire, but firefighters found it crawling on debris in the home, Marshall said.
The animal belonged to the boy who was happy to be reunited with his rat, according to Marshall.
The family received assistance from their neighbors who took them in for the night, he said.
No injuries were reported.
Marshall estimated the fire caused an estimated $600,000 in damage to the structure and its contents.
#buffaloIC crews able to locate and save family's pet rat pic.twitter.com/ivCNXyv5Lm — PIO (@ContraCostaFire) November 9, 2014
2-alarm fire in #Antioch taken prior to fire arrival on Buffalo Ct.. Photo by Sean Thorton @ContraCostaFire pic.twitter.com/ThfZrTqXfL — eastcountytoday.net (@eastcountytoday) November 9, 2014
