Palo Alto fire Battalion Chief Donald Dudak said a woman, whose husband and son were out golfing, was in bed when she heard a smoke detector. She left the bedroom, saw smoke coming from the dishwasher and reported the fire.
At about 7:20 a.m., firefighters received reports of the fire in the single-story home at 814 Melville Ave. and found the structure burning. "It went from the dishwasher, that's the point of origin, to the kitchen, living room and dining room," Dudak said.
Firefighters controlled the blaze at about 8:30 a.m., according to Dudak.
There was no report of injuries.
Dudak estimated that the fire caused about $100,000 of damage to contents and $200,000 of damage to the structure.
Investigators remained at the home late this morning to determine the official cause of the fire.
"We don't know if it was electrical or if there was something else going on behind the dishwasher to cause the fire," Dudak said.
