The family and surrounding residents were caught by surprise when flames engulfed and destroyed the home on the 13000 block of Saratoga Vista Avenue on July 3. The family—a mother, father and two children under age 10—were sleeping and became trapped inside the home when the fire erupted late that evening, according to sheriff's spokesman Deputy Terrance Helm.

The fire is believed to have started in the garage because of an electrical problem, said fire investigator and Capt. Don Olson of the Saratoga Fire Department. He said the exact cause is still under investigation.

Keith Kearns, 16, who lives a block away from the house, said he was getting ready for bed when he heard a car honking outside his house. Kearns said he assumed the noise was just a local teenager. But the honking persisted, and he heard someone yelling, "Fire, fire," at which point he looked out his window to see the home in flames and immediately called 911.

"The fire was pretty amazing," said Kearn's mother, Mimi. "The flames were leaping as high as the trees. It was quite a spectacle."

Santa Clara County Sheriff's deputies James Jensen and Todd Wyman responded to the call at about 11:30 p.m. and attempted to gain access to the residence to see if there was anyone occupying the home. They tried yelling and banging on the front door, which was deadbolted, and finally broke a front room window and yelled into the smoke-filled residence.

The mother, who came to the front door, was unable to unlock the deadbolt, but she notified the deputies that her family was still inside sleeping. The deputies kicked open the front door and rescued the family just as the fire department arrived to extinguish the flames. The family walked away from the incident without injuries, said Helm, adding that an ambulance was not summoned.

The two vehicles inside the garage were seriously damaged, and Olson said the fire spread from the garage to the bedroom adjacent to the garage, causing substantial fire and water damage.

He said fire crews were able to contain the majority of the damage to the garage and one bedroom, although the roof of the structure was also damaged. Olson said the damage estimate for the structure and contents is $300,000. The neighboring house to the west on Thelma Avenue also experienced minor damage to the roof.