Roberts Creek Fire Department took six hours last Sunday to staunch a suspicious, stubborn blaze at 2005 Cassidy Road.
According to fire chief Bruce Searle, the fire travelled up the wall to the shake roof. The firefighters could not access the fire from the roof because the truss joists were unable to bear any weight.
"We had to fight the fire from inside where we could reach it," Searle said.
The fire was difficult to put out because the design of the two-storey house featured a vaulted ceiling. As a result, the contents of the home sustained substantial damage from heat, smoke and water.
The roof was gutted in the fire. Total damages have been estimated at $400,000.
And while vandals were reported in the area at the time of the fire, Sunshine Coast RCMP could not confirm this as Coast Reporter went to press Thursday night.
The owners of the property were on holiday out of the country at the time of the fire.
