Hot coals in grill believed to be cause of house fire near Waterford

A barbecue with hot coals left too close to combustibles appears to be the cause of a fire that damaged a house on the Oakdale-Waterford Highway near Waterford on Monday night.

Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District responded to the call just before 8 p.m., said Battalion Chief Rick Bussell. The first engine crew on scene encountered heavy fire coming from the front-porch area of the single-family residence, he said.

While attempting to extinguish the porch fire, firefighters were able to get inside the house and saw the flames had gone up the wall and into the attic space, Bussell said. Crews pulled the ceiling to access the attic and extinguish the blaze before it could consume the majority of the living space, he said. “Crews were able to salvage a lot of the property inside the residence.”

The occupant of the home told firefighters he was awakened by what he described as a large explosion, looked out a front window and saw the porch fire, Bussell said. The man was able to get safely out the rear of the house.

The Modesto and Hughson fire departments assisted in fighting the fire on the 1200 block of the Oakdale-Waterford Highway.

Damage to the roughly 1,300- or 1,400-square-foot house and its contents has been estimated at $38,000, Bussell said.

This story was originally published November 15, 2016 at 8:12 AM with the headline "Hot coals in grill believed to be cause of house fire near Waterford."