This story has been updated
A house fire that started in the master bedroom of a Scotts Valley home Tuesday afternoon was extinguished quickly by firefighters from the area.
The fire began at about 12:12 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 525 Sandhill Road in Scotts Valley. Sandhill is east of Glenwood Drive about 1 mile past Scotts Valley High School.
The fire began in the master bedroom while owner Robert Petitjean worked in the garage, which is detached from the house, Petitjean said. He smelled something burning, so he went into the house, looked around and saw smoke billowing from the upstairs bedroom.
Neighbors said the fire started slowly but grew into a blaze with flames leaping out of the upstairs window after firefighters arrived on scene.
Petitjean purchased the house in 1978 and lives there with his wife. He was able to rescue their cat from the house.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to Scotts Valley Fire Department. Officials estimated that the blaze caused about $150,000 in damage.
Firefighters from Scotts Valley, Santa Cruz and Branciforte worked to put out the blaze. The fire was extinguished by about 1 p.m.
