By Linda Taaffe

A two-alarm fire shut down El Monte Road last Friday for several hours while firefighters tried to contain a blaze in a house on El Monte Road near Covington Road, said a spokeswoman for the Santa Clara County Central Fire Protection District.

The fire caused an estimated $250,000 in structural damages and about $50,000 in property loss due to fire, smoke and water, she said.

Fire fighters attempted to resuscitate the family’s parrot, which was trapped in the house during the fire.

They were unsucessful. No one else was injured, the spokeswoman said.

By the time firefighters learned of the blaze at 12:35 p.m., the fire had already consumed about 20 percent of the 2,000-square-foot house, she said.

Flames had pushed their way through the roof and were visible from the street.

Most of the damage occurred to the roof and ceiling areas of the house, she said.

Firefighters were still trying to determine the cause of the fire earlier this week.