Four people were left homeless Thursday evening when fire consumed a two-story duplex in the Summerland hills, according to the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District.

Firefighters responding from the department’s station on Lillie Avenue could see smoke and flames pouring from the structure while they were en route, according to Carpinteria-Summerland Battalion Chief Christopher Blair.

Four people lived in the apartments in the 2300 block of Golden Gate Avenue, Blair said, and all escaped without injury, except one person who suffered a minor burn. However, a cat perished in the blaze.

Damage to the structure and its contents was placed at $690,000.

Investigators said Friday afternoon that they have not determined a cause for the blaze, but termed it “non-suspicious.”.

Two engines from Carpinteria-Summerland responded, along with two engines from the Montecito Fire Protection District and one from Ventura County, Blair said.

Firefighters were able to knock down the main fire fairly quickly, he said, but full control took longer as crews were hampered by downed power lines on one side of the structure.

“It took a long time to cut the power,” he said.

When firefighters arrived on scene, the building was engulfed in flames.

“It burned quite freely,” Blair said, “and it was something I was quite leery about sending anybody into.”

— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.