A fire in North Berkeley on Sunday morning displaced a longtime resident from her home.
The house is expected to be red-tagged due to the extensive damage, neighbors said.
The fire broke out in the 1300 block of Hearst Avenue, near Acton Street, at about 7:20 a.m.
A neighbor saw the homeowner, an 81-year-old woman, going in and out of the house as the fire spread.
He helped her get to safety and then called 911. The Berkeley Fire Department arrived within minutes, but the home was already engulfed.
“The whole neighborhood came out because there were a zillion fire trucks,” said one neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous.
According to preliminary reports, the woman had been using a space heater to keep warm.
Firefighters were on the block for hours and, as of publication time, an inspector from the fire department remained at the scene.
The Scanner has asked BFD for more details and will update this story when it becomes available.
