Two-Story Fire Engulfs Irvine Home

IRVINE, Calif.—Flames consumed a garage attached to a two-story Irvine home and spread to the roof and attic Monday morning and firefighters believe it was caused by a lithium-ion battery failure.

Neighbors reported the fire at 12:32 a.m. in the 4000 block of Homestead Street, according to the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA).

Our OCFA Drone Program captured footage of this well-involved residential garage fire extending into the 2nd-story attic of a home in the 4000 blk of Homestead St. in @City_of_Irvine after neighbors called 911 at 12:32 a.m. With reports of someone possibly in the home, FF’s >> pic.twitter.com/M9yZ0lHE9Q

— OCFA PIO (@OCFireAuthority) January 2, 2023

The neighbors feared residents might be inside the home, but firefighters quickly searched and found no one inside, officials said. No injuries were reported.

OCFA video showed flames filling the garage with the roof also ablaze.

Firefighters put out the flames in 38 minutes, officials said.

They determined the most probable cause was an electrical failure of lithium-ion batteries.

This was the second house fire within eight hours that the OCFA attributed to the rechargeable batteries. The first was at 4:48 p.m Sunday in Tustin.