A fire that officials believe was caused by an unattended candle damaged a home in the 1500 block of El Camino Real in Palo Alto Sunday afternoon.

The fire was reported at 4:20 p.m. and was contained to one bedroom. Firefighters encountered "zero visibility" when they entered the building at 1563 El Camino through the front door, Deputy Fire Chief Roger Bloom said in a statement.

Though the fire was contained to a single bedroom, the entire home was filled with smoke, Bloom said. Firefighters had to tear open walls and open ceilings to make sure the flames hadn't spread, he said.

The building's occupants weren't home and no one was hurt, Bloom said. The fire destroyed all the contents in the bedroom and caused heavy smoke damage in other parts of the house.

Bloom said the fire was reported by a tenant who lives in the rear of the house and who was alerted by smoke alarms. Fire officials believe that the fire started after someone left a burning candle unattended, he said.