Waking up Thursday morning to the sound of scratching coming from his kitchen, Weimar homeowner Gus Hetland decided to investigate.

But the shape he could make out near his supper table turned out not to be human.

It was a bear that had scratched through a screen window and shimmied through the narrow opening to get inside.

Hetland, 86, said that the 2 a.m. wake-up call had him thinking “burglar” but the bear was a total surprise.

“I just let out a loud sound like a dog barking and the bear went out the window so fast,” Hetland said.

The emboldened bruin vanished into the night, leaving a shredded window screen, a torn lace curtain and a few pine needles on the kitchen floor as souvenirs.

Hetland said he’d been noticing in recent days that his outdoor fountain had been losing water and now suspects the bear had been visiting at night to quench its thirst. Thursday morning, it made a move toward more substantial fare inside the house.

“They can smell food we can’t smell,” Hetland said.

The fridge remained untouched, suggesting Hetland discovered the bear early in its foray into the home for a late-night snack.

“It’s a good thing we were home,” Hetland said. “If we were away, it would have torn up the whole house.”

In 20 years, Hetland had never seen a bear before in his Sleepy Hollow neighborhood. The rural home abuts wildland, including a seasonal stream.

Coyotes, a bobcat and deer have been sighted but bears have shied away.

That is until the morning trip to the fridge that Hetland hopes won’t be repeated.

His wife, Judy, said Hetland is constantly cracking wise so she initially didn’t believe his contention that a bear had broken in.

“I thought it was a joke until I saw the damage,” she said. “I’m just glad I wasn’t the one who walked in on the bear.”

Carol Singleton, State Fish & Game Department spokesperson, said that if Hetland made a loud sound like a dog, he was in line with guidelines to try to scare an intruding bear with noise.

Bear intrusions are sporadic in California. In the 1990s, a bear broke into a home east of Colfax and made national news when it was caught by the owner sipping on a soda can from the fridge it had opened with a claw. Last month, a San Bernardino County homeowner came home to find a bear feasting in the kitchen on a meal that included a two-pound box of chocolates.

Singleton said people can help prevent intrusions by keeping smelly things inside, including garbage and pet food. A bear-proof garbage can is a plus in rural areas to discourage wildlife looking for an easy meal, she said.

Singleton said that people in a bear’s presence should try to find a safe place and if they feel threatened, call 911. Local law enforcement should be first responders and they can follow up by calling Fish and Game, she said.

The Journal’s Gus Thomson can be reached at gust@goldcountrymedia.com.