Home of Mariners ace Hernandez damaged in fire

Crews from three suburban Seattle fire departments were able to quickly subdue a blaze that damaged the Bellevue, Wash., home of Mariners ace Felix Hernandez on Monday afternoon.

The 27-year-old four-time American League All-Star Hernandez was with his wife, Sandra, in Napa, Calif., when the fire broke out at about 4 p.m. PT. Nobody was in at home at the time of the fire. The cause of the blaze, which took about 50 minutes to control, was not immediately known. Firefighters from nearby departments in Redmond and Mercer Island joined Bellevue's crew to knock down the blaze.

"I have been in contact with Felix and he and his family are safe," Mariners spokesman Tim Hevly said in an email to the Associated Press.

Hernandez's agent, Wil Polidor, told The Seattle Times that the 2010 Cy Young Award winner was returning to Seattle because of the fire. The 5,100-square-foot, five-bedroom, four-bathroom house which is owned by Hernandez and his wife, was built in 2009. Polidor also said Hernandez's two young children were at a local mall with the right-hander's mother-in-law and a nanny when the fire started.

Bellevue Fire Department Lt. Richard Burke told the Times that most of the house's "substantial damage" occurred on the first floor while the second floor was damaged mostly by smoke.

Hernandez went 12-10 with a 3.04 ERA in 31 starts for the Mariners in 2013.