A fire that authorities said was ignited accidentally gutted a 106-year-old house in Hollywood on Monday, displacing residents and slightly injuring a pet rabbit that was inside the home.

Joel Sube holds a piece of a wine bottle that melted during the fire on Monday. The property belongs to his mother. (photo by Edwin Folven)

The fire was reported shortly after 3 p.m. at a residence at 1937 N. Vista Del Mar Ave., just north of Franklin Avenue. Firefighters arrived to find flames and heavy smoke emanating from the structure. A team of firefighters concentrated on the fire in the residence while another team protected an apartment building next door. Capt. Rob Scott, of Fire Station 27 in Hollywood, said firefighters contained the flames to the house, and there was no significant damage to the neighboring apartment building.

“[Firefighters from] Engine 82 made an aggressive initial attack, and [firefighters from] Truck 27 went to the roof to give it ventilation,” Scott said. “Meanwhile, the building to the north was evacuated. There were about six to eight units, and people trying to evacuate their dogs. We went door-to-door to get the people out. The fire took about eight to ten minutes to put out.”

Scott said the fire was accidental, but the exact cause remains under investigation. A single occupant who was inside the residence when the fire erupted escaped the building and called 911, Scott said.

Joel Sube, whose mother owns the property, said the fire was likely started by someone burning sage on the front porch. Sube, who lives in West Los Angeles, said he was taking care of the property while his 75-year-old mother was vacationing in China, and that one of the most difficult things about the incident would be informing her about the fire.

He added that he had just finished remodeling an upstairs portion of the house the previous day. The residence was insured, he said.

“I’m glad nobody got hurt, but to me, I don’t get it,” Sube said. “It was not an intentional thing, it wasn’t an act of God, it wasn’t deliberately set. I mean come on. But what can you do?”

The occupants of the house declined to comment, and it was unclear where they planned to stay. Sube said he was renting it to two individuals. An additional four units to the rear of the house were not damaged by the fire.

Rana Joy, a neighbor who has lived on Vista Del Mar for more than 20 years, said she heard sirens and ran outside to find the front of the house fully engulfed in flames. A few minutes later, one of the firefighters emerged from the burning residence and handed her a rabbit.

“I knew there were animals in there,” Joy said. “The rabbit was a little charred. I gave it a bath and gave it first aid. I took it to the Studio City animal hospital.”

Sube, who said he is a general contractor, said he plans to rebuild the house, and that he would be sifting through the debris to determine what was salvageable.

“I just finished working on this and threw a big barbecue on Sunday for the residents to say, ‘Thanks and sorry for being in your way,’” he added. “I guess there is a first time for everything.”