Man dies, house destroyed in Guerneville fire

A man died in a fire Wednesday morning that destroyed a Guerneville home, according to fire officials.

The man’s two roommates escaped the flames and drove to a fire station to report the blaze, according to Sonoma County Fire District Fire Marshal Cyndi Foreman.

Sonoma County Fire District crews were dispatched at 7:27 a.m. to the fire in the 17800 block of Pool Ridge Road.

Foreman said she did not know why the roommates, both men, did not call to report the blaze but said the area where the house was located does not have good cellphone service.

The two men attempted to get the third man out of his bedroom but were unsuccessful due to how quickly the fire spread, Foreman said.

“The fire evolved so quickly they weren’t able to get him out,” Foreman said.

When firefighters arrived on scene about 8:20 a.m., approximately 50 minutes after the fire was reported, the two-story house was just a “pile of rubble,” Foreman said.

All of the contents in the house, which was built in 1936, were also destroyed.

Foreman said multiple obstacles prevented firefighters from reaching the house earlier, including a tree blocking one of the access roads and the home’s remote location. In addition, many of the access roads were made of dirt.

“There’s no paved roads,” Foreman said. “There’s no direct access.”

Firefighters were on scene until about 1 p.m. putting out the blaze.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Monte Rio Fire Protection District and Cal Fire aided the operation.

You can reach Staff Writer Madison Smalstig at madison.smalstig@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @madi.smals.