Fire officials say Petaluma house fire started by resident

A woman with a history of drug use is suspected of starting a fire at her family’s home that caused $35,000 in damage, Petaluma fire officials said.

The fire was reported at 7:07 p.m. Wednesday at a home in the 500 block of Albert Way in Petaluma. When firefighters arrived, they noticed smoke coming from the front door of a modest single-story home.

Firefighters located the source of the flames in a front bedroom and extinguished the blaze in 15 minutes. A hole was cut into the roof to release smoke from the attic and inside the house.

Fire officials said the home was occupied by a family of six, including a grandmother, her son, two daughters and two grandchildren. One of the daughters has a history of drug use and admitted to starting the fire, officials said.

The daughter was taken to a local hospital for mental and medical evaluation. All six occupants made it out of the house safely.

Damage to the home is estimated at $20,000, along with a loss of about $15,000 in contents. Officials are investigating exactly how the fire started.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @renofish.