Fire destroys home during project

A house fire first reported by a 10-year-old boy on Monday eventually destroyed the home, displacing a family and their five dogs.

The fire in the 3400 block of Las Palmas Avenue, reported at about 3:40 p.m., started in the attic as construction crews were working on a major remodeling project, officials said.

Matias Caceres, 10, was passing on his scooter when he said he noticed smoke billowing from the house. That’s when he called out to a construction worker who was standing on the roof. He was told to call 9-1-1, and as he started to see flames emerge, Matias said he could hardly believe the scene that was unfolding.

“I was like, ‘Wow, this is actually happening right now,’” he said as Glendale firefighters continued to douse the charred house with water Monday evening.

Six Glendale fire engines and one from Los Angeles County responded to the blaze, which was extinguished roughly one hour later. Investigators interviewed construction workers into the evening to determine a cause for the blaze, which displaced a couple and their five foster children, a fire official said.

Firefighters were ordered out of the house before the roof of the 1,800-square-foot, single-story house collapsed, said fire Capt. Stuart Stefani. No injuries were reported.

Neighbor Frank Coccaro said he saw firefighters pulling three cages with dogs inside from the home, while two other poodles were let out on their own. As of Monday evening, officials were searching the neighborhood for one of the poodles that had been lost in the commotion.