Flames Destroy Woodland Hills Residence

A fire destroyed a Woodland Hills house Tuesday morning, but two Los Angeles County fire helicopters helped prevent the blaze from spreading by dousing the area with water and foam, authorities said.

The helicopters were returning from a nearby incident shortly after 11:30 a.m. when a column of smoke was sighted.

As they approached the 21600 block of Dumetz Road, the crews saw a one-story house fully engulfed in flames.

About 700 gallons of water were dumped on the fire, Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Mark Jones said.

“They got a really good jump on it,” Jones said. “If they hadn’t made that drop, we could have been playing some serious catch-up.”

The owners of the house were at work, but two cats and two dogs died in the blaze, Jones said.

The house was gutted by the flames, sparing only an iron bell near the entrance.

“I heard this popping and flapping sound and when I walked outside, there was this billow of black smoke,” resident Rose Obetz said. “Other neighbors tried to protect their homes and I called 911.”

Two cars in a driveway near the house also were damaged.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze within 15 minutes, Jones said.

Estimated damage to the 960-square-foot house is about $100,000, fire officials said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.