Fire displaces Monte Rio mother, son

Fire displaced a mother and son from their Monte Rio home Monday morning, fire officials said.

The fire was reported about 5:30 a.m. at an Old Monte Rio Road house on the hillside from Highway 116 near the Summer Bridge area, Monte Rio Fire Chief Steve Baxman said. The two-story wood house HAD a mother and her adult son renting the first floor and a part-time residence for the owners on the second floor, the chief said.

The fire appeared to have started in a ground floor storage area and quickly spread through a crawl space between floors. Baxman said the home’s construction - with new siding installed over old siding - enabled the fire to spread quickly between the walls.

Firefighters from Monte Rio, Russian River, Forestville, Cazadero and Cal Fire worked on the fire.

Damage was estimated at several hundred thousand dollars, and the Red Cross was called to assist the family.

The fire’s cause is under investigation.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 707-521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.