Fire takes home of Candeloris By MATT KAPKO Half Moon Bay Review September 8, 2004 Fire erupted at 2585 Purisima Creek Road during the afternoon heat Sunday, completely destroying the three-story home of John and Polly Candelori. Firefighters from the Half Moon Bay Fire Protection District responded to two fires reported at 2 p.m. in the area, but when fire crews arrived they determined there was only one fire - at the Candelori home. "It was a three-story house built into the hillside and basically all three stories were fully involved," Division Chief Clayton Jolley said. "It was totaled. It burned to the ground." The Candelori family is well known throughout the Coastside. "(John) is used to giving. This is a whole new role for him. It's hard for him to be on the receiving end," Sheriff's Lt. John Quinlan said. "He's helped more people than most people even think about." The couple was able to save its three dogs and horses, but nothing else, Quinlan said. "The poor guy lost everything he owned," he said, adding that some friends have offered to take care of the family's horses for the time being. Quinlan said the couple could use some help during this difficult time as it searches for a home to rent that will allow three dogs. They're basically picking up the pieces and starting anew, he added. Engines from the Half Moon Bay district were on scene for five hours. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection was also on scene with a full wild land response team, said Jolley. "Because the fire was so hot it was spotting into the wild land ... three of the four sides of the structure had spot fires," he said. "One of our goals was to keep it out of the wild lands so it didn't take off and burn something else down," he said, adding that the closest homes were at least a half-mile away. "(Firefighters) had water supply issues fairly early," he said. A water tender group from CDF provided the much-needed water, but delays and water shortages left crews without water to fight the fire for a brief period. After the fire was contained, a watch crew remained on scene through the night until Fire Marshal Gareth Harris arrived Monday morning to begin his investigation. That investigation was underway and the cause of the fire was still unknown at press time. Home