A legendary piece of East Bay history turned into a towering inferno Saturday night.
The former Kaiser Estate — a sprawling $5.6 million fortress — was gutted by a three-alarm fire that ripped through the roof. The dark smoke went up in the evening sky as the property burned.
The blaze broke out around 4:56 p.m. at the property, causing sections of the roof to collapse, severely damaging the structure.
The estate was built in 1946 –– roughly one decade after Henry J. Kaiser finished the Hoover Dam in 1936
The Contra Costa Fire Department officials faced the “tricky” old-school construction and a punishing heatwave that left first responders “spent.”
“Due to the weather conditions, the high heat, crews got spent pretty quickly,” said Deputy Fire Chief Charles Stark of the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District, reports Kron4 News.
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The blaze broke out around 4:56 p.m at the East Bay property.
As per the online real-estate marketplace Zillow, the mansion was sold just months ago for $5.6 million.
The Lafayette Kaiser Estate was built by Henry J. Kaiser’s industrial empire, the very same power behind the construction of the Hoover Dam.
The estate was built in 1946 –– roughly one decade after Kaiser and his consortium finished the Hoover Dam in 1936.
The luxury mansion was empty at the time of fire, leading to no injuries or loss of life.
“Due to the construction type for the residence, it’s hard to get into the seat of the fire. So, we’ve been trying to get ahead of it and cut it off. It’s a very large structure.
“Right now, we’re still in the phases of trying to establish cutoff points on it,” Deputy Fire Chief Stark told the news outlet.
The 14,605-square-foot luxury property encompasses eight expansive bedrooms, 12 full bathrooms and one partial bath.
The residence featured a grand main entry, formal dining room, dedicated workshop and a primary bedroom retreat, anchored by five wood-burning stone fireplaces strategically placed in the living room, family room, den, dining area and primary suite.
The estate was unoccupied at the time of the fire. No one was hurt, but the damage was catastrophic. The investigators are on the hunt for answers about what caused the luxury property to burn into flames.
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