Fire damages Safeway in Rohnert Park

A Rohnert Park Safeway will be closed indefinitely after a fire caused extensive damage to the grocery store Monday, authorities said.

Firefighters from at least four agencies responded to the blaze at the Safeway near the intersection of Rohnert Park Expressway and Commerce Boulevard. First responders with the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety, which took the lead in the firefight, were the first to arrive around 11:20 a.m.

The sheer size of the building required a large response by multiple agencies, said David Sutter, Rohnert Park’s fire captain.

“We needed that many people on the scene because the size of this building is in actuality like fighting fires in 10 houses at once,” Sutter said.

Sonoma County Fire, Santa Rosa Fire and Rancho Adobe Fire assisted in battling the blaze.

The smoke was so thick and hot when firefighters arrived that they said they had to cut a hole in the roof of the store to allow smoke to escape.

“It was so thick we could not see inside or navigate our way around the maze-like store,” Rancho Adobe Fire Battalion Chief Herb Wandel said.

A quick response from firefighters and functioning water sprinklers helped contain the blaze rapidly, Wandel said.

Employees and shoppers were evacuated from the store, and no one was injured, authorities said.

Safeway employees declined to comment.

Sutter said it is possible the fire was started by a faulty generator or a water boiler.

However, the cause of the fire remains?under investigation.

You can reach Staff Writer Alexandria Bordas at 707-521-5337 or alexandria.bordas@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter ?@CrossingBordas.