Wood stove sparks Santa Rosa house fire

A man and his son awoke late Friday night to find their northwest Santa Rosa home full of smoke, the result of a fire apparently sparked by their wood burning stove.

The 11:45 p.m. fire at 2604 Marlow Road caused significant damage to the single-family home and displaced its two residents, but no one was injured in the incident, according to Santa Rosa Battalion Chief Matt Dahl.

Firefighters arrived and discovered heavy smoke pouring from the home.

They entered and brought the fire under control in about ?20 minutes, Dahl said.

The fire was contained to the living room, but smoke and heat caused an estimated $75,000 in damage.

Firefighters, who were able to respond quickly because they were on their way back from another call, were able to save most of the family’s Christmas presents, Assistant Fire Marshal Paul Lowenthal said.

A preliminary investigation suggested a misaligned flue may have been to blame, Lowenthal said.

He said the fire served as a good reminder to residents to get any wood burning stoves and fireplaces professionally serviced.

In addition to receiving assistance from the Red Cross, the father and son, who lost many of their belongings in the blaze, received a prepaid gift card and toys from the firefighters.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 707-521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @srcitybeat.