Oakmont woman escapes house fire

An Oakmont woman awoke early Tuesday to find flames in her laundry room and beginning to spread into the house, a Santa Rosa fire official said.

Santa Rosa and Kenwood firefighters responded to the 5:30 a.m. call for help at the Oakmont Drive residence.

Santa Rosa Battalion Chief Mike Jones estimated the fire burned one-fifth of the home. It destroyed the utility room, and flames began burning an adjoining bedroom and the attic, he said. Smoke and heat got to the rest of the 1,400-square-foot home.

Jones estimated structural damage was about $40,000 with a loss of about $10,000 to contents.

The burning home was on the main road of the east Santa Rosa senior residential community off of Highway 12. The fire response included four engines - three from Santa Rosa and one from Kenwood, plus other support vehicles.

Santa Rosa has a station in Oakmont, and the fire crew arrived four minutes after the 911 call, according to Sonoma County emergency dispatch records.

The cause remained under investigation Tuesday.

The woman was able to get out safely, and no one was injured in the effort.