Hayward firefighters quickly extinguished a fire at a two-story home near downtown Tuesday morning, and the home's only occupant at the time, a Chihuahua, was rescued safely.

The fire was first spotted at about 8 a.m. by a woman passing by, who saw smoke coming from the attic area of a home in the 1300 block of Russell Way, Hayward fire Capt. Thor Poulsen said.

The woman knocked on the door and didn't get a response, but could hear a dog barking inside. She called 911, and firefighters arrived within two minutes, he said.

Arriving firefighters saw thick smoke coming out of the home's attic vents.

Crews removed parts of the roof to access the blaze, and had the fire under control at 8:34 a.m.

The Chihuahua, which Poulsen called "a feisty little thing," was moved to a smoke-free back room where it was safe.

"We felt it was better just to go ahead and leave the Chihuahua in a closed space," Poulsen said.

The woman who lives at the home was out at the time the blaze started, but returned while firefighters were at the scene.

"She wanted to go in and get her personal belongings," Poulsen said.

However, it was not yet safe for her to do so, he said.

No injuries were reported.

Preliminary damage estimates are between $100,000 and $150,000, but Poulsen said that figure will likely go up once crews can safely get in the home and assess the situation.