300 chicks, three dogs die in three area fires

Three dogs and hundreds of week-old chicks perished in three fires over the weekend in Cotati.

An outbuilding used for hatching eggs at Larsen's Feed and Pet Supply Store on Highway 116 caught fire early Friday morning, killing 300 chicks, Rancho Adobe Fire Capt. Tim Caldwell said Tuesday.

The cause of the 3 a.m. blaze has not yet been determined, nor has the cost of the damage to the building.

"It was a total loss," said Alice Larsen, who owns the feed store with her husband, Bob.

The store was one of the only places in the area that had chicks this early in the year, Larsen said. She hopes to bring in a portable hatchery in the next couple weeks and begin again.

None of the other animals on the property, including laying hens and rabbits, were harmed.

Another deadly fire was reported just before midnight Saturday on the 5000 block of Highway 116.

A small shed that had been converted into a home was burning, Caldwell said. The blaze was contained quickly, but the building was destroyed and a dog died during the fire, Caldwell said.

The person living in the residence was unharmed but displaced. Arrangements were made for the person to stay elsewhere, Caldwell said.

The cause is unknown, but a space heater was the only source of heat, Caldwell said. Damage was estimated at about $2,000.

A third fire was reported at around 5 a.m. Sunday in a garage in the 200 block of Chester Drive, near Sonoma State University.

Rancho Adobe's Cotati station normally would have been the first to arrive, but the station was closed that morning due to budget cuts, Caldwell said. A Rohnert Park engine arrived first, followed shortly after by engines from Rancho Adobe's Penn-grove and Liberty Street stations.

The garage's sprinkler system kept the blaze in check until firefighters arrived. However, two small dogs, a corgi and a chihuahua, died from smoke inhalation, Caldwell said.

Damage to the garage was estimated at about $7,000. The cause is uncertain but, as in Saturday's fire, a space heater was the garage's only source of heat, Caldwell said.

You can reach Staff Writer Jamie Hansen at 521-5205 or jamie.hansen@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter at @JamieHansen.