An untended candle was blamed for a fire that destroyed a Prunedale home Wednesday afternoon.
North County Fire District officials said the blaze gutted the home on the 1900 block of San Miguel Canyon Road, several hundred yards from Echo Valley Road. No injuries were reported.
Firefighters were called to the scene about 3:30 p.m. Efforts to douse the fire were hampered by the home's construction, according to Fire Marshal Michael Roberson. The structure was originally a mobile home over which several additions and a second roof had been built.
"There was a lot of empty spaces between the walls," he said.
"It was difficult because of the hidden spaces where the fire could advance."
The home is rented by Peter and Theresa Roman and their two daughters. The Romans told firefighters that a candle had been left unattended in one of the rooms.
Three engines and a fire tender from North County Fire responded, as well as firefighters from the state Department of Forestry in Aromas and the Salinas Rural Fire District.
Roberson estimated damage to the contents of the structure at about $30,000.
Distributed by the Associated Press
