Woman burned in Santa Rosa apartment fire

Flames tore through a small apartment complex just south of Santa Rosa on Sunday night, displacing three families, sending one woman to the hospital with burns and leaving investigators searching for a cause.

The blaze at 199 Barbara Drive, just off Moorland Avenue, was reported around 5:30 p.m. Rincon Valley firefighters arrived to find two of four connected units completely engulfed in flames.

“The call came in as blown-out windows, so you know that’s not good,” said Joe Giordani, battalion chief with Central Fire.

Firefighters focused on containing the fire to the two destroyed units and searching for people and pets in the others, Rincon Valley Fire Capt. Mark Dunn said.

They were able to save two puppies from one unit and prevent the fire from spreading further, he said.

Oxygen tanks were discovered in the home of the woman who suffered burns, Dunn said. Her name and condition were not available late Sunday.

The oxygen tanks may not have had anything to do with the fire’s cause, but may have contributed to its intensity, said Dunn, who heard explosions coming from the unit as he and other firefighters battled the blaze.

The Red Cross was assisting the families displaced by the fire. Investigators planned to interview the burn victim and return to the scene today to document the damage, Dunn said.

The two-alarm fire prompted a significant emergency response on an otherwise quiet Easter Sunday night. Units from Santa Rosa, Cal Fire, Sebastopol, Rancho Adobe and Gold Ridge were involved, dispatchers said.

The fire was brought under control around 6:45 p.m., but firefighters remained at the scene past 10 p.m.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @srcitybeat.