Fire destroys 2-story barn west of Petaluma

A fire on Monday afternoon destroyed a two-story barn and damaged two other buildings, including a residence on Bodega Avenue near Eucalyptus Road just west of Petaluma.

The barn fire was first reported at 1:59 p.m. and the structure was fully engulfed when the first engines from CalFire arrived, said Sonoma County Fire Duty Chief Hank Angeli.

The size of the barn was about 30 by 40 feet and was being used as a work shop and storage space, Angeli said. Everything inside was destroyed, including shop tools, car parts, bmx bikes and household items, he said.

Firefighters brought the fire under control within 20 minutes, but it damaged a nearby residence, blistering the home’s paint. The fire also damaged two other outbuildings, Angeli said.

In addition to CalFire, the blaze drew firefighters the Wilmar Volunteer Fire Department, Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District, the Coast Guard at Two Rock, the Petaluma Fire Department, San Antonio Volunteer Fire Department, the Laytonville Volunteer Fire Department and

Sonoma County Fire.

The agencies supplied numerous water tenders and engines to assure enough water would be available to battle the fire. There is no pressurized water system in the area that can be used by firefighters, Angeli said.

“That’s why we end up using a lot of different agencies to bring water,” he said.

The barn was an old wood frame structure and burned extremely hot, he said.

“The building was totally destroyed, there’s very little of it standing right now,” Angeli said. “I wouldn’t be able to estimate the cost...the building and its contents were a total loss.”

Angeli said Sonoma County Fire investigators are trying to determine the cause of the fire.