Century-old Vallejo home goes up in flames, residents displaced on Thanksgiving

VALLEJO, Calif. - A century-old, Victorian-style home went up in flames on Thursday night, displacing two residents on Thanksgiving, fire officials in Vallejo say. 

The Vallejo Fire Department responded to the 1400 block of Sutter Street at 11:53 p.m. Fire Captain Kevin Brown said the department received multiple 911 calls describing a house in flames. The fire quickly went from one to three alarms. The fire was quickly knocked down in the home's living area, but according to firefighters, active fire remained in the attic. 

"Due to the Victorian/balloon frame style construction, with lath and plaster walls/ceiling, accessing the attic space proved extremely difficult," said Capt. Brown. 

Andrew Bedenfield was one of the home's residents who was displaced. He said he was celebrating Thanksgiving at a relative's home nearby. When he heard fire engines oar into his neighborhood, he realized it was his home that was on fire. 

"I had the fireman…he asked me to open my door and in my door…he went inside. I smelled smoke and I smelled a little fire, but he said there was nothing wrong at first with my apartment, but when he came to a point, he said there is something burning in your home and he made me back up."

It took firefighters several hours to fight the fire. At one point, the flames were so intense, crews had to back off and take a defensive position. Crews had to be removed from the structure when it became unsafe to fight the fire. Mutual aid was provided by fire departments in Benicia, Crockett, Napa, Fairfiled, and American Canyon. 

No injuries were reported and the fire was contained to one single structure, officials said. 

The two adults who were displaced lived on the first floor. The living units on the second and third floor were unoccupied. 

The Red Cross has been contacted to assist the displaced adults. 

The cause of the fire is under investigation.