A man and a woman suffered smoke inhalation during a structure fire at their Richland Drive home early Wednesday morning, according to the Santa Barbara City Fire Department. 

Fire crews arrived on scene shortly after the couple called in the fire at around 12:30 a.m., and were able to put the fire out quickly, Battalion Chief Jim McCoy said. 

The couple had first tried to put out the fire themselves using buckets of water, McCoy said.

Both elderly residents suffered smoke inhalation as a result, and the woman was transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.

“The fire was mostly small but did cause significant smoke damage to the couple’s home,” McCoy said. 

Authorities called in American Red Cross, which is now working to find the couple a temporary place to stay.

The residents also own a pet cat, which was not injured in the fire, McCoy said. 

— Noozhawk intern Shomik Mukherjee can be reached at smukherjee@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.