Residents escape early morning Santa Rosa duplex blaze

An unattended candle may have started a fire early Friday that damaged a Santa Rosa duplex, temporarily displacing the residents, Santa Rosa fire officials said.

Resident Russell Mathison, 25, discovered the fire in a front room at about 12:30 a.m. at the Brigham Avenue duplex east of Brookwood Avenue near Doyle Community Park, Battalion Chief Jack Piccinini said. Smoke and flames also awoke his roommates Brian Maxwell, 34, and Audrey Stallings, 23, and the three escaped through a rear door.

The fire also awoke their next-door neighbors, who ran out the front door, narrowly escaping the heat of the flames, according to Piccinini.

Firefighters arrived within four minutes of the first call at 12:33 a.m. and found heavy fire spreading from the apartment to an attic, Piccinini said. Crews brought the fire under control within about 15 minutes and stopped it from spreading to the attic and adjacent unit, he said.

They worked around a fallen power line, which had been downed by the fire.

The combination of smoke damage from the fire and the loss of power displaced all occupants of the structure, and the Red Cross was called to assist them.

Piccinini estimated the damage at about $150,000.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 521-5220 or julie.johnson@press?democrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.