Santa Rosa duplex fire human-caused, investigators say

Investigators have completed an investigation into a Santa Rosa duplex fire that took place early Tuesday and concluded the blaze was “human-caused,” although no arrests have been made.

The two-alarm fire was reported about 2:30 a.m. at a construction site near Guerneville and Marlow roads, the Santa Rosa Fire Department said Thursday.

The blaze destroyed a two-story building under construction at 1606 Tecado Drive and caused about $1.3 million in damage, officials said, adding that no injuries or displacements occurred.

The building was half-way completed and had no electricity, water, appliances or furniture.

“Nothing that would pose or possibly cause a fire,” Quang Pham, a city fire inspector, told The Press Democrat.

He said a construction superintendent and workers indicated homeless people have been coming onto the property. They suspected that one of them was responsible for starting a fire in a unit two weeks ago.

No one saw anyone entering the destroyed building Monday or Tuesday, Pham said.

Santa Rosa police arrested a trespassing suspect in another unit during the fire. That person had been camping in a garage and is unrelated to the blaze, according to fire officials.

You can reach Staff Writer Colin Atagi at colin.atagi@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @colin_atagi