Inspector: Heat lamp for chicks causes Hacienda house fire

An accidental fire that severely damaged a Russian River area home was started by a heat lamp warming baby chicks, a Forestville fire investigator said Wednesday.

The chicks were being housed in a room at the back of the house and the fire started in the area where the chicks were kept, said Eric Gromala, Forestville fire inspector.

Tuesday’s middle-of-the-night fire was on Sunnyside Avenue, in the river community of Hacienda, outside Forestville. Several fire agencies responded to the two-story, hillside home and stopped the flames from spreading.

The residents were able to get out safely. But the fire caused considerable damage to the residence and ruined the owners’ possessions. The chicks perished.

The house will need to be rebuilt, Gromala said. He estimated the loss at about $250,000 with about $100,000 in lost contents.