A west Santa Rosa home burglarized and set on fire Tuesday appeared to be the third in a series of suspected residential arsons, Sonoma County sheriff's officials said Wednesday.
A woman returned to her Fulton Road house just before 7 p.m. and found smoke pouring from a broken glass window on the front door, Central Fire Prevention Officer Cyndi Foreman said.
Jewelry, a laptop computer, a duffel bag and other small items were missing from the home. Fires were set in two bedrooms and a kitchen, Foreman said.
Detectives and fire investigators will meet today to compare notes on three or more separate cases, Sonoma County Sheriff's Sgt. Mike Raasch said.
"There is a high likelihood of a serial arsonist," Sgt. Mike Raasch said. "We need to look at all the other ones that seem related."
Earlier, two homes were set on fire amid a string of residential burglaries in Santa Rosa's Coffey Park neighborhood, also on the city's west side, police said.
On April 20, neighbors reported that a Hopper Avenue home was on fire at about 4 p.m. Before the blaze broke out, neighbors had reported reported seeing a 40-to-50-year-old man pounding on the door.
The home had been burglarized and fire investigators suspect arson, police said.
On May 19, a Santa Rosa couple came home to find their Banyon Place home had been burglarized and set afire, days before their wedding.
Similar unspecified items were taken from all of the homes, Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Mike Lazzarini said.
Fire investigators said that in Tuesday's fire, objects were set on fire with a flame, possibly from a lighter or match, Foreman said. Investigators found no evidence of an accelerant such as lighter fluid.
Many of the home's belongings were destroyed by fire, smoke and heat, although the single-story home remained "structurally intact," Foreman said.
"I have heard of and seen fires set to cover up a homicide, that's not uncommon," Foreman said. "But to cover up a burglary? I have not seen one before in my career."
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