Kaiser Estate suffers major damage in fire months after being sold for $5.6 million
A three-alarm fire heavily damaged the historic Lafayette mansion once owned by shipbuilding mogul Henry J. Kaiser on Saturday, just months after the sprawling estate sold for $5.6 million.
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Known as the Kaiser Estate, the roughly 14,000-square-foot mansion was built in 1946 for the industrialist, whose companies helped build the Hoover Dam and whose Richmond shipyards transformed wartime shipbuilding during World War II. Kaiser also notably co-founded the healthcare system Kaiser Permanente. Firefighters were dispatched just before 5 p.m. Saturday to reports of a residential fire alarm at the historically significant estate on Reliez Station Lane, according to a Monday news release from the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.
The first firefighters to arrive found heavy fire burning on the rear of the home and launched an interior attack while laying nearly 1,000 feet of hose because of the property’s long driveway and limited access for fire engines, the district said.
As crews advanced inside, the fire spread to the attic and roof, triggering second- and third-alarm responses for additional personnel. Firefighters searched the home, ventilated the structure and worked to contain the blaze before deteriorating conditions forced a change in tactics.
After parts of the roof became unstable, crews pulled out of the home and switched to a defensive attack, using master streams to knock down the fire from outside.
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Video from the scene posted by News24-680 showed flames and smoke on the tile roof of the estate while fire fighters battled the blaze.
Firefighters brought the blaze under control after several hours despite difficult access, a lengthy water supply operation and electrical hazards. Crews remained overnight to extinguish hot spots and monitor the property.
No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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