Fire destroys home

Owners were at work when fire broke out in Costa Mesa home that was being remodeled. Three dogs escaped safely. A fire destroyed a two-story Costa Mesa home Thursday morning but caused no injuries, officials said.

The homeowners were at work when the two-alarm fire broke out just before 10 a.m. in the 2800 block of Europa Drive in the Mesa Verde neighborhood. Three dogs inside the home escaped safely, officials said.

“The house is going to be a complete loss,” Costa Mesa Battalion Chief Keith Fujimoto said.

Investigators remained at the scene late Thursday afternoon, searching for the cause of the fire.

When crews first arrived, they found flames shooting from the back of the house. Some witnesses reported hearing explosions coming from the burning home, Fujimoto said.

Forty-four firefighters from Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley contained the fire within 20 minutes.

Homeowner Pat O’Connor said she and her husband, Ray, have no idea what may have started the fire.

The couple was in the process of remodeling the home and hoped to sell it. They were planning to retire and move closer to their grandchildren, Pat O’Connor said. She added there were paint cans lying around the house because of the remodeling work.

The O’Connors left for work around 7:30 a.m. Three dogs -- a Jack Russell terrier, a Chihuahua mix and a Pomeranian -- remained inside.

Pat O’Connor first knew that something might be wrong when her son called to tell her that the Jack Russell terrier had gotten out of the house. The dog is tagged with a microchip that stores contact information, including a phone number for the son.

When the family heard a house was on fire in their neighborhood, they had a suspicion it might be theirs.

“I don’t care about the stuff, I just care about the animals,” Pat O’Connor said. “Everything else can be replaced.”

The O’Connors have lived in the home for 28 years.

“It’s the only house my son remembers growing up in,” Pat O’Connor said.

At 10:30 a.m. Thursday, the fire was under control but smoke still billowed out. The street was blocked off and lined with fire trucks, and curious neighbors crowded behind yellow tape.

Neighbors Carla Cousyn and Brenna Cooley heard the sirens and brought along a camera to take some shots of the fire.

“I’ve never heard so many sirens for so long in my life,” Cooley said. “It was amazing.”

Cousyn said the neighborhood is not a stranger to house fires. Another neighbor’s home burnt down last year.

“It’s terrible, it’s devastating,” Cousyn said.

20060203iu35kgncDON LEACH / DAILY PILOT(LA)Firefighters hose down the roof of a home on Europa Drive in Costa Mesa. Crews from Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley responded to the blaze, which destroyed the home. 20060203iu35l9ncDON LEACH / DAILY PILOT(LA)A firefighter douses a hot spot in a home on Europa Drive in Costa Mesa. The house was destroyed, but no one was hurt.