Two injured in Piedmont house fire

A firefighter and a resident were injured in a fire at a house in Piedmont Tuesday morning, the city’s fire chief said.

The fire was reported at 10:43 a.m. to Oakland fire dispatchers, but crews found that it was burning at a home on St. James Place in Piedmont, just over the city’s border with Oakland.

Fire Chief Warren (Bud) McLaren said firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and fire coming from the garage and front of the home.

The resident suffered burn injuries from trying to put out the flames before fire crews arrived, while the firefighter suffered a shoulder injury while battling the blaze, McLaren said.

Both were taken to a hospital but their injuries were considered minor and they have both since been released, he said.

Firefighters eventually extinguished the blaze but remained at the house late this afternoon to make sure it does not spark back up, the chief said.

The fire, which produced a large amount of smoke that could be seen from miles away in Oakland, destroyed a car in the home’s garage and caused at least $200,000 in damage to the property, McLaren said.

Crews were able to prevent it from spreading to nearby homes, although neighboring hedges burned in the blaze, he said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation but crews believe it started in the home’s garage, according to McLaren.