Fire destroys South Lake Tahoe home

A fire destroyed a home in the Bijou neighborhood of South Lake Tahoe on Thursday night, killing three dogs and leaving the two residents without a home which was declared a complete loss.

At 8:22 p.m. April 21, 2016, engines from all area agencies responded to the two-story cabin at 3801 Aspen Avenue after receiving a 911 call of flames coming from inside. South Lake Tahoe, Tahoe Douglas and Lake Valley Fire Departments were all called to the scene. They found the home engulfed and items from the interior exploding.

The two people who live at the cabin were not home at the time of the fire. They arrived after fire personnel and tried to enter the home to find their dogs. Once the fire was distinguished, fire personnel found the three deceased dogs upstairs next to a window.

Nearby residents were temporarily evacuated.

The cause of the fire has been determined to be combustibles too close to the furnace. One of the residents said they had bags of laundry against the wall near the heater, and fire officials say the burn marks on the walls of the home show this was the origin of the fire which was contained to the bottom floor.

Loss is estimated to be $170,000, $150,000 for the structure and $20,000 for the contents.