A Mountain View man trying to stay warm ended up accidentally burning down his home early Sunday morning.

Firefighters received a call about the fire at about 3:30 a.m. morning from inside the man's home in the 700 block of Sonia Way.

The fireplace and chimney still stand -- the place where investigators said the flames started.

Firefighters said the man said he was trying to light a fire in the fireplace to stay warm during a chilly morning when the flames erupted.

"When we arrived on scene we saw the house was fully engulfed with flames coming outside the window," said Jaime Garrett, of the Mountain View Fire Department.

One next door neighbor said firefighters asked her to leave her home just in case the flames spread.

The man living here at the house was identified by friends and family as Forrest Jones.

They said he is visually impaired and has multiple sclerosis.

He escaped uninjured.

Family members said he's a hoarder and has lived in the home for decades.

"It's just a shame," said Zeden Jones, the man's nephew. "People like him that are disabled, with no income. He's got no place to go now."

An insurance adjuster on the scene told KTVU he's been to four house fires in the area in just the past 24 hours with at least two that started in the fireplace.

Firefighters said once the temperatures go down, the number of house fires go up as people try to stay warm.

"Sometimes people turn to things like their ovens (or) bringing ... outdoor heaters inside," said Jaime Garrett of the Mountain View Fire Department. "Both of those present a dangerous situation."

Firefighters also recommend you have a working smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector.

As for Forrest Jones, family members said the Red Cross is putting him up in a local motel.