The use of a fireplace to heat a 5,400-square-foot home on Southland Road, west of North Cottage Avenue, Friday morning caused a $500,000 loss to the structure and its contents.The 7:44 a.m. fire call brought engines from Lathrop-Manteca Fire Department and Manteca City Fire along with two water tenders, including one from Ripon Consolidated Fire, to fight the blaze. Fire companies arrived at the scene and had to make access through a locked gate on the street that led to the home surrounded by a concrete block wall. Firefighters reported finding heavy fire in the main living area and the attic of the house that contained all the utility lines in an upper mechanical floor that serviced the home.