5 homes damaged in San Leandro fire; no reports of injuries, officials say

SAN LEANDRO, Calif. (KGO) -- Alameda County firefighters were quick to put out three-alarm house fire in San Leandro that spread to four other homes. The fire started at James Vaan's house on Dutton Street.

"I am not sure what could have happened. I was just sitting there relaxing and all of sudden we hear something popping. So, I went to the back room, I smelled smoke. I went to the front room, got Crystal (his partner) out. And then I went back up (stairs) to see if I could close the doors and everything. The smoke was so bad, the fire was coming through the upstairs bedroom window, and I just got out," explains Vaan.

Vaan says he hasn't been able to go back into his house so he doesn't know the full extent of the damage. Thomas, who lives next door, says the smell of smoke woke him from a nap.

"All of a sudden I heard snap-crackle-and-pop. And I woke up and looked outside and the whole house was engulfed," says Thomas.

He called 911 and then ran to help neighbors.

"I called 911. And they are like, 'Hey, are you reporting the fire on this Dutton Street?' And I was like, 'Yeah.' They were like, 'Okay, help is coming.' And within minutes, these guys were here," says Thomas, pointing to firefighters.

"The fire extended from the initial unit and outside to a total of five units. We don't know what cause the fire or where it actually started at this point," says Alameda County Fire Division Chief, Paige Bowie.

Bowie says the fire was knocked down within 30 minutes. She says they are still investigating how much the four other homes were damaged. She adds, wind may have played a role.

"I mean, just taking a look at it, the homes are fairly close. There are a lot of juniper trees, which are pretty flammable. It was pretty windy earlier," explains Bowie.

Washington Elementary School is just across the street from the initial house that caught fire. The principals says students were not impacted in anyway. The fire department was in touch with the central office. Students were let out of school at the regular time.