GARDEN GROVE firefighters in action (Dooley photo).

A house converted into a Buddhist temple in Garden Grove was completely destroyed by a fire late Tuesday night.

According to Capt. Thanh Nguyen of Garden Grove Fire Department, the blaze was reported at 11:38 p.m. in the 11700 block of Magnolia Street at the Chua Vinh Minh temple.

It took over 30 firefighters a little over a half-hour to get the fire under control with units from Garden Grove, Anaheim, Huntington Beach and the Orange County Fire Authority working together.

The value of the loss to the structure was put at $400,000 with $50,000 to the contents. Two women inside the structure, awakened by a smoke alarm and a neighbor, left the building and were not injured.

Investigators concluded that an unattended candle on an altar next to the building on the front porch ignited the structure and extended into the temple.