Santa Rosa fire forces family out of home over the holiday weekend

A Santa Rosa home caught fire Sunday morning, causing smoke damage to the second floor and attic and temporarily forcing the family out, authorities said.

There were no injuries from the fire.

Just before 4 a.m. Sunday, the Santa Rosa Fire Department was dispatched to the 2600 block of Wild Bill Circle for a report of a fence fire, said Santa Rosa Fire battalion chief Jason Jenkins. One engine from the Sonoma County Fire District also aided the operation.

When firefighters arrived, a house located on the same property as the fence was also on fire. The flames had climbed up two stories and spread into the attic, Jenkins said.

The five family members and the family dog had already escaped the house, according to a Santa Rosa Fire Facebook post.

Firefighters first extinguished small flames in corner rooms on the first and second floors before working up to the larger fire in the attic.

Using the ladder truck, firefighters cut a vertical vent in the roof to create a “chimney effect,” releasing some of the captive smoke and flames, Jenkins said. Firefighters in the home used hooks to make holes in the ceiling, allowing them to stick water nozzles into the area.

Pacific Gas and Electric cut off the electrical and gas services to the house as firefighters worked to put out the flames, according to the post.

Jenkins said the firefighters had put out the majority of the flames in about 15 minutes and spent another hour extinguishing hot spots and checking for hidden fires.

The fire originated near trash cans and yard waste on the property that were close to both the home’s garage and the fence, Jenkins said.

Investigators are still trying to determine the exact cause of the fire, although it was most likely because of improper disposal of ashes, according the Facebook post.

The fire caused about $75,000 in damage, including moderate smoke damage to the roof and minor smoke damage to the second floor, Jenkins said.

“I think it shouldn’t take too long to get it repaired and back in shape,” he said.

The family will temporarily move out of the home until the roof is repaired, siding is replaced and the home is assessed for electrical damage, Jenkins said.

Jenkins said the fire could have been a lot worse if the smoke detectors had not alerted the family early to the flames.

“I think a few more minutes of that fire undetected and we would have had a huge problem on our hands,” he said.

“Now is definitely the time if you haven’t done so to make sure your smoke detectors are operational with new batteries,” Jenkins added.

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