Structure fire reported off Tepusquet Road east of Santa Maria

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – Two Santa Barbara County Fire Department units responded to a fire inside of an exterior wall of a home at the 3600 block of Tepusquet Road around 11:08 a.m.

Residents of the home reported they could smell smoke.

Fire crews used a thermal camera to identify a heat spot within the walls of the home.

After using hand tools to open the hot spots in the wall, first responders extinguished the fire.

Fire is a chemical reaction and can be difficult or even impossible to see in some cases. Fire crews used thermal cameras and simply feeling for heat to detect this fire.

The cause of this fire is still under investigation.