Summit Road House Fire Contained [Updated]

[Update, 3:03 p.m.]

Accidental roof exposure to hot pipes from a wood-burning stove — most likely over a long period of time — caused the Summit Road house fire, according to Santa Barbara City Fire Captain Gary Pitney.

The fire started outside of the home — in the metal chimney stove pipe — and traveled under the metal roof before catching onto the home’s wooden A-frame roof, causing approximately $742,000 in total damages, reported Pitney in a prepared statement. “Burn patterns indicated that the fire traveled under the metal roof for some time before it broke out near the front of the A-frame structure,” said Pitney.

Before the smoke detector went off, the sound of breaking glass warned the couple who resided at 828 Summit Road of the fire.

[Original Story]

Just after midnight Monday morning, multiple firefighting agencies responded to a house fire at 828 Summit Road off Alston Road. Accompanied by eight engines, a truck company, and a Battalion Chief, Santa Barbara City and Montecito firefighters were the first to arrive at the Santa Barbara home.

Initially, first responders reported, “heavy smoke and flames visible from Alston Road,” according to a prepared statement from city fire department spokesperson Kevin Corbett. They called for backup from the Santa Barbara County, Carpinteria, and Summerland fire departments in the nearly four-hour effort to quench the fire, which was contained at approximately 4:00 a.m. Monday morning.

According to Corbett, “The large single-family dwelling — approximately 3,000 square feet — had an A-frame type of construction, which made firefighting very difficult.” The hidden area between the home’s vaulted ceiling and roof was filled with “a large amount of fire,” Santa Barbara City Battalion Chief Chris Mailes reported in a press release.

No residents were injured, but one Santa Barbara City firefighter suffered minor burns to his hands. The cause of the fire is undetermined and still under investigation, Corbett said.