El Dorado Hills blaze: quick action by firefighters saved neighboring homes

A family was displaced Monday after an early morning fire destroyed their home in the southern region of El Dorado Hills and threatened neighboring land and homes. At 1:30 a.m. Monday, units from the El Dorado Hills Fire Department, CalFire and the Rescue Fire Protection District were dispatched to 7046 Ryan Ranch Road near Latrobe after a 9-1-1 caller reported a home was on fire. According to El Dorado Hills Fire Deputy Chief Mike Lilienthal, upon arrival to the scene, firefighters were faced with a home that was fully engulfed in flames and a large area of vegetation was ablaze. The residents had safely evacuated the home upon the firefighters' arrival. "Firefighters arrived on scene to find a fully-involved two story residential structure that had spread to over an acre of grass and brush. The fire was spreading and threatening adjacent homes," said Lilienthal. Upon the firefighters' arrival, all occupants had safely vacated the home. Firefighters initiated a simultaneous attack on the 2,341- square-foot home and the surrounding wildland. Their fast-paced attack stopped the fire's progress before it could damage adjacent homes. No injuries were reported in the incident. Laura Reynolds and her family were residents of the home. Just hours after the fire, Reynolds reached out to the El Dorado Hills Fire Department, thanking them for their work and thanking her neighbors for their concerns. "Thank you, dear neighbors, for your kind words and prayers, and a huge thank you to our El Dorado Hills Fire Department for preventing further spread, protecting our neighbors homes, and giving love to our terrified cats this morning," said Reynolds. "We are staying with friends nearby and counting our blessings. We are so very thankful to have escaped in time." According to Lilienthal, the cause of the fire is still under investigation. The structure appears to be totally destroyed, along with much of its contents. Damages are estimated to be $1,000,000 to the property and its contents at this time, according to Lilienthal.