A Home in the Oakland Hills Half-Lost in a Fire Gives Its Owner a Whole New Start

One night in 2017, around 2 a.m., Sammie Host awoke to the sound of fire engines. The smell of smoke was thick in her Oakland Hills home, which was in flames after a plastic bin of smoldering fireplace coals had been accidentally left on their back deck. In a lucky twist of fate, Host’s neighbor—who had uncharacteristically stayed home from a trip her husband had taken—happened to see the late-night blaze and alerted the local fire department. The call saved the lives of Host and her then-husband (and a dog they were watching), but by the time the sun came up, 40 percent of the home was destroyed, and the rest had suffered severe smoke and water damage.