Elderly Man Safe After Fire on Tulipwood

An elderly man whose home garage caught fire Wednesday afternoon is safe today because of an observant neighbor who quickly called in the incident.

At about 4:30 p.m. the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department received a report that smoke was coming from a house on the 7300 block of Tulipwood Circle. 

The caller informed officials that someone was inside the house.

Battalion Chief  Barry Rose said those initially at the scene, including the Pleasanton Police Department, assisted the elderly man outside without any injury.

Rose said the man, who needed a walker to get around, had been unaware of the fire.

Three fire engines responded to the scene and crew members were able to put out flames within 30 minutes. The fire did not spread into the living areas of the house, Rose said.

Three others who lived in the home were away at the time.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated, but is believed to have started in the garage and spread to the attic. Rose said investigators have ruled out electrical and intentional causes.

This is the second garage fire in Pleasanton in just two weeks. Another house located on Pimlico Drive sustained about $500,000 in damages from a fire that started in the garage on July 5.

Rose said garage fires are some of the more common incidents that occur. He said it is important that residents remember to store flammable items and chemicals in a garage properly.

For more information on how to prevent structure fires, please contact the local fire department at 925.454.2361.