Two Roseland families displaced by apartment fire

Ten adults and children were left without homes after fire broke out at a Roseland apartment building late Wednesday.

The cause of the West Avenue blaze was under investigation Thursday, but it could have been started by cigarette butts discarded near a mattress and couch stored against an outer wall, Santa Rosa Fire Department Battalion Chief Mark Basque said.

Several people called 911 starting around 11:50 p.m. to report flames coming from the two-story structure.

Santa Rosa’s Roseland engine arrived first, in 5 minutes, according to emergency dispatch records. Firefighters found flames in the backyard of the apartment building and up an outer wall into the attic, Basque said.

Residents of the four-unit building had gotten out on their own. One woman complained of chest pressure and was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital for evaluation.

The fire, which was under control after 23 minutes, mainly burned part of the top of the building and the outer wall of the top apartment. The bottom-floor unit had water damage and a loss of power.

“The firefighters did a really nice job saving personal belongings,” the battalion chief said.

Damage was mainly to the building, which Basque estimated at $75,000 to $100,000.

Three adults and three children in the upper apartment and two adults and two teens in the lower apartment were displaced. Red Cross volunteers responded to provide temporary help.

Four engines, one ladder truck and 18 firefighters responded.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com.