Fire Destroys One of Oldest Houses in O.C. : Blaze: Transients living in the building are believed to be responsible. The Anaheim residence was remnant of days when grape industry thrived.

ANAHEIM —  One of the oldest houses in Orange County, a remnant of the days when the area’s grape industry thrived, was destroyed by a stubborn fire Saturday night that reportedly was set by two transients living inside.

The blaze in the condemned, two-story house at 617 W. Lincoln Ave. was spotted shortly after 7 p.m. by a police helicopter crew. Twenty-one firefighters worked for 45 minutes to contain the blaze, but the house was considered a total loss.

The fire apparently started in the second story of the house during an argument between two transients. No injuries were reported.

Anaheim Fire Department Division Chief Steve Magliocco said the fire was particularly difficult to extinguish because of the heavy timber, plaster and other materials used to build the house. Flames were “embedded in several hidden spaces in the building and it was very stubborn and difficult to fight,” he said, noting that with Santa Ana winds firefighters were extremely concerned that flying embers could spread the blaze.

The damage to the house, built sometime near the turn of the century, was estimated at $250,000 to $275,000, Magliocco said.

Century-old houses are rare in Orange County, where the oldest remaining ones were built in the 1860s.

The house was reportedly built in a large vineyard planted by German immigrants that operated in Anaheim during the 1850s through 1880s, even before the area’s citrus industry took hold. Historians say the city at one time was the largest grape-producing region in California, but the vines, which covered about 1,100 acres, were killed off by disease in the late 1880s.

The house fell into disrepair and was condemned by the city after a woman who had lived there for about 50 years died, said Lynda Visser-Nath, owner of Visser’s Florist and Greenhouse, located next door. It was in probate when the fire occurred.

“It was one of the original houses in Anaheim,” Visser-Nath said.

Fearing a fire because transients had moved in, Visser-Nath said she had called police several times in recent months, but they did not respond.

“The house was in horrible shape. I was extremely worried,” she said. “We were afraid they would start a fire because it’s cold out.”

Firefighters were able to stop the blaze from spreading to the adjacent floral business. Because of the 35 m.p.h. Santa Ana winds, fire crews surveyed the area’s parched hills and canyons to ensure it did not spread.

“It was engulfed in minutes. There were about 10 bedrooms upstairs and so much wood,” Visser-Nath said. “The Fire Department came in about six minutes and did a fantastic job.”