Blaze burns log cabin between Calistoga, SR

A fire that destroyed a log cabin at Mountain Home Ranch Resort near Calistoga Tuesday morning appears to have been accidental and may be traced back to an electrical problem, a fire official said Wednesday.

Tuesday morning’s fire broke out at the cabin, located on rural Mountain Home Ranch Road, off of Petrified Forest Road.

While the cabin and its contents were destroyed, the fire was quickly contained due to recent brush clearing done in the area by owners, said Sonoma County Fire Battalion Chief Greg Martin.

“It absolutely prevented that fire from spreading across that ridge, potentially saving other homes in the area, without a doubt,” Martin said.

The hilly area, between northern Santa Rosa and Calistoga, is dangerously dry and full of many years of thick growth, he said.

He compared Tuesday’s quick knockdown with a June 2007 fire in the same area that couldn’t be stopped so easily due to extensive growth.

“...same ridge, it very quickly pushed right over the hill,” burned about 45 acres and threatened homes, Martin said.

While the cause of the cabin fire remains under investigation, initially it appears to have been electrical, he said.

The log cabin was built in the 1960s and was about 1,200 square feet. It was being rented as a residence. A loss estimate wasn’t available.

Suzanne Pasky-Fouts, who with her husband John owns the ranch in the hills between Santa Rosa and Calistoga, thanked firefighters and agreed the preparation to clear the property was crucial to saving the surrounding area.

"It's what saved the entire mountain because it wasn't able to spread," she said.

State forestry officials sent a full contingent of equipment and air power to the fire off of Petrified Forest Road, first reported at about 9:50 a.m. Cal Fire was aided by firefighters from Calistoga, Rincon Valley and Santa Rosa.

The log cabin was a rental on the ranch, which the Fouts family has owned since 1913, said Pasky-Fouts.

"We came running and saw the house was totally involved," she said.

With the help of neighbors and workers, they tried to put out the fire with hoses before several fire engines, air tankers and helicopters arrived.

The fire's thick, black smoke could be seen from downtown Santa Rosa, the first of several fires visible from the city Tuesday.

"It's sad because it's a complete loss," Pasky-Fouts said of the two-bedroom, two-bath cabin.