House heavily damaged in afternoon fire

A fire caused serious damage to a house in central Pleasanton on Monday afternoon, leaving the lone resident displaced and a pet dog deceased, according to the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department.

The situation unfolded around 3:40 p.m. when LPFD firefighters responded to a structure fire reported on Heatherlark Circle, just off Hopyard Road south of the Valley Avenue intersection.

Arriving crews found heavy fire and smoke coming from the interior of a single-story house, according to battalion chief Paul Legasa. Firefighters immediately began working to control the blaze and search for potential occupants, ultimately determining no one was inside the home.

Firefighters would soon contain the fire, but the house itself and much of the personal property inside were heavily damaged, according to Legasa.

No human injuries were reported but firefighters found a dog deceased in the house, a death that appeared fire-related, according to battalion chief Joe Testa. The resident of the house has been displaced.

The cause of the fire remains undetermined and might not ever be confirmed, but there were no indications of criminal activity Testa said, adding, “The likely origin of the fire suffered too much damage to determine cause under our investigation.”

In all, 29 fire personnel responded to the incident, including seven fire engine teams, one fire truck unit, a breathing support group and four chief officers. Pleasanton police, Alameda County Fire Department and Paramedics Plus ambulance personnel assisted in the response.