Firefighters quickly contain blaze at Rincon Valley home

A family was displaced after a fire rendered their Rincon Valley home temporarily uninhabitable Tuesday.

Multiple callers reported a fire at a home on Byrne Court, near Badger and Brush Creek roads, at 4:22 p.m. Neighbors reported hearing explosions, said Santa Rosa Fire Battalion Chief Matt Gloeckner.

When firefighters arrived, they found a fire burning outside the two-story single-family home, near the electrical panel and gas meter. The blaze had spread to a shed behind the home, and flames started burning up the side of the wall into the attic, Gloeckner said.

No one was injured in the blaze. Two children and two dogs were home, but their neighbors alerted them to the fire before firefighters arrived and they were able to get out safely, Gloeckner said. The parents, who had briefly stepped out to pick up their car from a mechanic, arrived home soon after.

Firefighters contained the blaze by 4:47 p.m. The fire caused significant damage to the exterior of the home, but only minor smoke damage to the inside, Gloeckner said. The damage is estimated to be $150,000.

Still, the family wasn't able to stay at the home because the gas meter and electrical panel were compromised. Gloeckner said the family made other arrangements, and help from the Red Cross wasn't needed.

The explosions that neighbors heard appears to have been caused by a propane tank inside the nearby shed that ruptured in the fire, Gloeckner said. It didn't have any effect on the extensiveness of the fire.

Officials are still investigating what caused the fire, but Gloeckner said it appears accidental.