Fire hits South Lake Tahoe home twice in one night

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A home on Idaho Avenue in South Lake Tahoe had two fires overnight, resulting in damage to both the house and garage.

At 5:52 p.m. February 1, South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) was called out to the home after what appears to be ashes placed in the garage caught on fire. The fire was knocked down and after being cleaned up, the fire crew left.

Eight hours later at 1:52 a.m., SLTFR returned after the fire rekindled, causing large flames to burst through the roof of the garage. Tahoe Douglas Fire also responded with their ladder truck and were able to assist.

"I woke to what I thought was an earthquake," said neighbor Terren Gomez-West who had just fallen asleep after the earlier fire commotion. "But I realized they were small explosions as I looked out my window to see flames over the neighboring houses. As I went outside I heard sirens so knew help was on the way, but the house was fully engulfed in flames."

SLTFR Battalion Chief Karl Koeppen said they do not know where the fire was hiding before reignition and the cause is under investigation and undetermined at this time.

A neighbor with outside cameras on their home shows the garage as the ignition point of the second fire as well.

Koeppen said the home has a lot of smoke and water damage and the home in uninhabitable. The South Lake Tahoe Building Department has red-tagged it at this time. SLTFR is still at the scene this morning helping the homeowner clean and remove some items.

Two people lived in the home with their cats and all were able to get out safely after the first fire. They were not home when it reignited.