Partially constructed Pullman Lofts burn in downtown Santa Rosa

The partially completed Pullman Lofts apartment complex in downtown Santa Rosa caught fire Friday night, burning part of its first floor.

The fire, which Santa Rosa Fire Department crews had under control by 6:30 p.m., reportedly started in one of the apartment units on the south side of the complex, located at the corner of Wilson and West Ninth streets. “An aggressive interior fire attack” kept the fire from spreading beyond three units and an interior common hallway, according to the fire department.

Anxious calls flooded Redcom, the county's fire and emergency medical dispatch center, as the three-story, 74-unit complex burned a block from the elevated south downtown Highway 101 off-ramp, according to Redcom Dispatch Supervisor Bob Stratton.

Crews were dispatched minutes after the fire was called in at 6:12 p.m., Stratton said. Four engines, a ladder truck and an air unit responded, he said.

Active flames were visible when crews arrived and smoke could be smelled from across the city. SMART officials had to be alerted as there was smoke on the railroad tracks adjacent to the project.

The fire is under investigation, according to officials.

Phoenix Development Co. broke ground on the project, at the site of a former lumberyard, in late March. The complex features one- and two-bedroom market-rate apartments. Completion was targeted for May 2022.

Photographer Kent Porter contributed to this report. You can reach Staff Writer Kathleen Coates at kathleen.coates@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5209.