Fire destroys Atascadero home, family displaced

August 12, 2026

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

A fire destroyed a house in Atascadero on Sunday, displacing a family.

Shortly after 4:45 p.m., firefighters responded to 7580 Castano Avenue. Upon arrival, firefighters found a single-family home fully engulfed in flames with the fire spreading to vegetation behind the house, according to a city of Atascadero news release.

Firefighters began battling the house fire, as well as the flames that were spreading to the vegetation. It took firefighters 30 minutes to achieve control of the blaze.

Because of the damage to the home, firefighters were unable to safely make entry to the house until the fire was knocked down. Firefighters extinguished the blaze before it could reach adjacent homes.

Cal Fire personnel, as well as Templeton, Paso Robles and Atascadero State Hospital firefighters assisted with the firefight. No one suffered injuries as a result of the fire.

Investigators determined the fire started at the front porch of the home. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

A GoFundMe page raising money for the displaced residents says a family of four lost their home. 

“Mariah Byrd, her daughters Ivy and Sasa, and her father Leonard Byrd just lost their home and nearly everything they own in a devastating house fire,” the GoFundMe sates. “Mariah and the girls barely made it out safely, having to crawl beneath the smoke to escape. They got out without even having shoes on their feet. Leonard, who is 75, was also able to escape safely.”

As of Tuesday, the GoFundMe has raised more than $28,000. The fundraising campaign has a goal of $40,000.