Belmont Residents Displaced by House Fire

A structure fire Wednesday afternoon resulted in a Belmont home being declared unsafe to occupy.

According to Belmont police spokeperson,  Capt. Patrick Halleran, Belmont Fire units responded to a report of a structure fire in the 1600 block of Manzanita Avenue at about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. The fire was discovered by one of the home's occupants who called 911.

Upon arrival firefighters found heavy smoke and flames coming from the single-family residence. Belmont fire units were assisted by units from the San Mateo, San Mateo County and the Redwood City/San Carlos Fire Departments. Halleran said the fire was confined to the home and did not spread to adjacent residences. Fire units remained on the scene until about 7:45 p.m.

The occupants of the home evacuated, however, police say a 19-year-old male apparently re-entered the home briefly with a fire extinguisher in an attempt to fight the fire. 

In all, five people were in the residence at the time of the fire, three males (ages 18, 22 and the 19 yr old previously mentioned) and two women (ages 50 and 86). There were no injuries reported.

The cause of the fire is under investigation but police say it appears to have started in a first-floor bedroom. The building sustained heavy damage and was declared unsafe to occupy by Belmont building officials.