A two-alarm fire engulfed multi-million mansion in Rancho Santa Fe Thursday night and into Friday morning.
The blaze at the home began around 9:20 p.m. at a residence in the 17000 block of Calle Serena, according to the Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District.
When fire officials arrived at the scene, smoke and flames could be seen stemming from the garage. The fire quickly spread to the rest of the home, and officials requested back-up from additional crews.
At 9:50 p.m., Sheriff's Bomb Arson officials and SDG&E officials were called to the scene.
Due to the size and intensity of the blaze, all firefighters were pulled out of the structure and crews continued a defensive attack, tackling the heavy flames from the exterior.
At 11 p.m., the fire continued to burn, and crews stayed on the scene through the night. By the morning, smoke could be seen billowing from the home.
A total of 11 units from all parts of the North County responded to the fire. One firefighter was treated for minor injuries.
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The owner of the home is Semyon Melamed, according to the County Assessor's Office.
Aerial images showed the house almost completely gutted after almost 12 hours of burning, with hole covering almost the entire roof of the 12,000-square-foot house.
The fire was extremely difficult for firefighters to knock down. Crews said the fire burned for so long due to a range of factors, including the presence of paint and other flammable construction materials.
The home was undergoing renovations and no one was home at the time. A construction worker who has been working on the 3-year-long project estimated that the home was valued at $20 million.
Friday morning, roads were still blocked off as fire crews continued to put out hot spots.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Ed. Note: An earlier version of this article described the home in the headline as a $20 million-home. That amount is an estimate, and not an official figure.
