Fifth recent fire destroys Guerneville home

A fire that destroyed a hillside home in Guerneville early Sunday was the fifth blaze in the Russian River community in the past week and a half and the second in as many days, following a suspicious fire that heavily damaged the town's health clinic.

Sunday's fire broke out about 6 a.m. in an unoccupied house on a hill above River Road near the east end of Guerneville, Russian River Fire District Capt. Ryan Lantz said.

The house, in the 15700 block of Morningside Drive, was 'fully involved' when firefighters arrived, Lantz said. No injuries were reported, he said.

'It's been a pretty busy week for us,' he said.

No cause has been officially determined for any of the fires, said Lantz, including the most significant blaze, which erupted early Saturday and tore through the Russian River Health Center in downtown Guerneville.

That fire, reported at 2:30 a.m. Saturday, started outside an elevator shaft in the clinic and spread to the attic and roof, Monte Rio Fire Chief Steve Baxman said.

Russian River Fire Capt. Travis Wood said Saturday the blaze was 'definitely human-caused' but it was not clear if it was intentional.

The health center, in a two-story building at 16319 Third St., suffered at least $500,000 in damage, according to an estimate Saturday, although officials said the figure is likely to rise.

Officials with the West County Health Centers, which operates the Guerneville facility, were assessing the damage Saturday and making arrangements to treat patients at other sites. The clinic serves 3,500 residents from the Guerneville and lower Russian River areas.

Also considered suspicious, Lantz said, is the Dec. 20 fire that broke out about 4 a.m. in a vacant commercial building near the corner of Mill and Main streets. The structure, which previously housed the New Dynamic Inn, was under renovation.

At about the same time, firefighters responded to a blaze at a two-story home on Mill Street. That fire, believed to have started in the kitchen area, was likely caused by a mechanical or electrical failure, Wood said at the time. Lantz said Sunday it was ruled an accident.

The first blaze occurred early on the morning of Dec. 17 at an empty vacation home on Old Monte Rio Road and is also considered accidental, Lantz said.

You can reach Staff Writer Guy Kovner at 521-5457 or guy.kovner@pressdem ocrat.com. On Twitter @guykovner.