Barn housing quail burns in west county

Fire destroyed a large Valley Ford Road barn Sunday night, according to fire officials.

The barn was used to house quail at a private ranch along the west Sonoma County road.

Several agencies responded to the 5:33 p.m. call. The first firefighters to the scene found the large barn was engulfed in flames, said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Jeremy Lawson, who responded for Sonoma County Emergency Services.

There was danger of the roof collapsing, keeping firefighters from going inside to try to stop the blaze and save the barn. Most of the 130 or so quail kept in the barn died, although some kept in an incubator did survive, Lawson said.

Firefighters extinguished the fire by about 6:20 p.m.

Lawson estimated the barn, built from cinder and tin siding, was about 200 feet by 50 feet.

The cause of the fire wasn’t known Monday afternoon.

Four engines and four water trucks responded with firefighters from Valley Ford, Two Rock, U.S. Coast Guard, Bodega, Gold Ridge, Marin County fire, Bloomfield and Cal Fire, Lawson said.

- Randi Rossmann