Man dies in fire that destroyed Redwood Valley home

A man was found dead in a fire Tuesday that destroyed a single-family home in Mendocino County, a fire official said.

The Redwood Valley-Calpella Fire Department received a call about 3:35 p.m. reporting dark smoke rising from a house in the 8800 block of Colony Drive in Redwood Valley, Chief Kerry Robinson said.

Firefighters arrived in about three minutes and saw fire coming out the front door of a one-story home. A few residents had already evacuated.

Crews entered the house to search for other occupants and found a man in one of the bedrooms. He was pronounced dead.

No other injuries were reported, officials said.

The man’s identity will be released by the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office Coroner’s Division upon notification of next of kin.

Firefighters contained flames to one side of the home before extinguishing the fire, Robinson said. The other half of the house sustained smoke damage.

The house was determined to be uninhabitable, but its residents were able to occupy another building on the property.

Fire investigators are determining the origin and cause of the fire, Robinson said.

Firefighters from Cal Fire, Ukiah Valley Fire Authority, Hopland Fire Protection District, Potter Valley Fire Department and Little Lake Fire District assisted in the response.

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